^/^^ 


Cibrarjp  of  €he  theological  ^eminarjo 

PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 
PRESENTED  BY 

The  Estate  of  the 
Rev*  John  B.  Wieclinger 


BV  4930  .G63  1911 
Goodell,  Charles  1854-1937 
Followers  of  the  gleam 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 

OR 

MODERN  MIRACLES  OF  GRACE 


JOHN   S.    HUYLER 


5P 


FOLLOWERS  OF  TH 

OR 

MODERN  MIRACLES  OF  GRACE 


7 

CHARLES  L.XiOODELL,  D.D. 

PASTOR    OF    CALVARY    METHODIST    CHCRCH,    NEW    YORK 
AUTHOR  OF  "pathways  TO  THE  BEST/'   "THE  OLD  DARNMA-V,"   "  MY 

mother's  bible,"  "pastoral  and  personal  evangelism," 
"thk  price  of  winning  souls,"  btc. 


ILLUSTRATED 


FUNK   &  WAGNALLS   COMPANY 

NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 

1911 


Copyright,  1911,  by 

FUNK  &  WAGNALLS  COMPANY 

{Printed  in  the   United  States  of  America] 

Published  November,  1911 


TO 

WILLIS  McDonald 

A  king's  son  and  a  follower  of  the  gleam 

IN  TOKEN  OP 
A  LONG  AND  SPIRITUAL  TELLOWSHIP 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

Prolog 13 

I.    Christed  Lives 23 

II.   The  Conversion  and  Life  of  John  S. 

HUYLER 43 

III.  A  King's  Daughter,  and  Her  Sons  and 

Daughters — Margaret  Bottome       .  73 

IV.  JiMMIE 99 

V.    Kid  Hall  of  Joliet 115 

VI.    A  Skeptic's  Conversion        ....  148 

VII.   Daniel  Webster  and  John  Colby's  Con- 
version      165 

VIII.   The  Challenge        ......  183 

IX.   The  Finding  of  Andrew     ....  201 

X.   Christ  and  the  Boys 217 

XI.   A  Business  Man's  Call 233 

XII.    The  Silver  Case 241 

XIII.  A  Little  Child  Shall  Lead  Them  .       .  251 

XIV.  Epilog 263 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


FACING 
PAGE 


John  S.   HuyleR Frontispiece 

Mrs.  Margaret  Bottome 73 

Bishop  Robert  McIntyre,  D.D 143 

Daniel  Webster 165 


PROLOG 


"  No,  there  is  no  fit  search  after  truth  which  does  not, 
first  of  all,  begin  to  live  the  truth  it  knows.  Alas!  to 
honor  a  little  truth  is  not  in  the  doubters,  or  they  do 
not  think  of  it,  and  so  they  dishonor  beforehand  all  the 
truth  they  seek,  and  swamp  it,  by  inevitable  consequence, 
in  doubts  without  end."  Bushnell. 

I  do  not  know  what  glorious  light 

Makes  this  heart  thus  to  glow. 
And  why  my  spirit  longs  and  cries, 

I  vow  I  do  not  know. 
But  when  my  Saviour  touched  my  sight. 
My  slumbering  soul  awoke  in  light, 
And  since  that  day  I've  known  no  night. 

McOirt. 

Strange  that  when  we  once  find  out  how  a  thing  is  done, 
we  at  once  conclude  that  God  has  not  done  it. 

Pra/ncis  Power  Cohb. 


PEOLOa 

This  book  will  be  found  to  differ  from  most 
books  on  conversion — notably  those  of  Mr. 
Begbie, — in  that  it  contans  the  record  of 
Christian  experience  as  voiced  by  representa- 
tives of  all  classes  and  ages.  The  miracles 
of  grace  which  are  seen  in  the  transforming 
of  the  vilest  lives  will  never  cease  to  hearten 
the  Church  and  give  hope  to  the  profligate 
and  the  abandoned.  The  Church  will  be  right 
in  saying :  "  A  Gospel  that  cannot  reach  the 
last  man  is  not  adequate  for  any  man."  It 
will  remind  itself  how  frequently  the  Savior 
used  the  words  "  the  least,  the  last,  the  lost/' 
and  will  make  no  mistake  in  preaching  salva- 
tion to  the  uttermost.  Thrilling  examples  of 
that  Gospel  will  be  found  in  this  book.  In 
the  rounds  of  pastoral  labor,  however,  this 
fact  has  been  imprest  upon  me;  that  the 
number  of  such  cases  to  which  one  is  called 
to  minister,  is  comparatively  small.  For 
every  one  whom  we  seek  to  rescue  from  a 
life  of  shame  or  debauchery,  there  will  be  a 
score  and  possibly  a  hundred  for  whom  the 

[13] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


language  and  experience  of  such  a  conversion 
as  we  have  indicated,  is  an  unknown  tongue 
and  the  facts  are  unreal  and  almost  incom- 
prehensible. 

This  book  is  an  attempt  to  put  into  lan- 
guage the  spiritual  experiences  of  the  aver- 
age individual,  to  the  end  that  those  who  find 
themselves  so  circumstanced  may  hear  in 
their  own  tongue  the  wonderful  works  of  God. 
It  is  the  story  of  those  who  followed  the 
Gleam;  "which  is  the  Light  which  lighteth 
every  man  that  cometh  into  the  world.'' 
Then,  too,  the  need  of  the  hour  seems  to  be 
some  inspiration  toward  the  formation  of 
character,  which  shall  make  reformation  un- 
necessary. The  best  treasure  house  for  re- 
ligious experience  is  the  mind  that  has  never 
lost  its  purity.  The  more  we  have  known  of 
evil,  the  less  our  capacity  to  know  God  is 
likely  to  become.  The  wounds  of  the  soul 
may  be  healed,  but  to  eradicate  the  scar  is  a 
long  process.  "  The  mind  that  has  shunned 
evil  may  not  be  able  to  testify  to  startlingly 
definite  crises,  but  the  settled  conviction  of 
such  a  life  is  to  the  reality  of  the  presence 
of  God  as  a  superlative  evidential  value.'' 

[14] 


PROLOG 


"  Broken  Earthenware  "  is  the  figure  which 
Begbie  uses  to  describe  those  who  have 
marred  in  themselves  the  image  of  God.  It 
is  an  unspeakable  comfort  to  feel  that  a  shat- 
tered vessel  may  yet  be  so  mended  that  it 
may  be  fit  to  bear  the  water  of  life,  but  ah, 
if  some  hand  could  have  been  outstretched 
before  it  fell,  if  only  the  fair  vase  had  never 
been  shattered! 

In  the  incidents  which  are  related  here, 
those  of  childhood  and  the  home  have  a  large 
place,  and  this  with  the  definite  purpose  to 
accentuate  in  every  way  possible,  the  relig- 
ious life  of  the  home  and  of  the  young.  Our 
parents  must  realize  that  they  cannot  dele- 
gate to  the  pastor  or  the  Sunday-school 
teacher  the  work  which  is  peculiarly  their 
own.  In  the  place  of  all  places  where  they 
should  be  helped,  many  of  our  young  people 
find  the  negative  influence  of  a  careless  relig- 
ious life, — if  not  a  life  of  outbreaking  wicked- 
ness. We  cannot  look  to  our  public  schools 
for  any  religious  training.  The  Sunday- 
school  has  but  a  few  minutes  out  of  the  week 
to  exert  whatever  influence  it  may  have  for 
good.    Of  the  young  people  who  come  under 

2  [15] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


its  influence  only  two  out  of  five  are  won  to 
Christ.  The  pastor  is  even  more  limited  in 
his  personal  relation  with  the  children.  So 
that  the  Church  must  put  greater  emphasis 
on  the  home  life  and  must  set  itself  with  def- 
inite purpose  to  influence  the  motherhood  and 
the  fatherhood  and  the  childhood  of  the  com- 
munity. 

I  am  quite  aware  that  many  of  the  incidents 
which  I  shall  relate  are  almost  wholly  lack- 
ing in  spectacular  interest.  We  do  well  to 
remind  ourselves  that  after  all  most  of  life's 
truest  experiences  are  not  spectacular.  Oc- 
casionally a  thunderstorm  disturbs  the  ordi- 
nary course  of  events,  and  the  heavens  are 
riven  by  fiery  bolts.  The  hearts  of  men  are 
terrified  as  the  awsome  battalions  of  the 
sky  ground  their  arms  among  the  mountains. 
But  there  is  no  commotion  attendant  upon 
the  rising  of  the  sun;  the  day  breaks  noise- 
lessly, and  night  sounds  no  "  Taps  "  when  it 
is  time  for  the  bivouac.  The  dew  and  sun- 
light fall  gently,  to  enliven  and  replenish  the 
earth.  We  will,  therefore,  be  interested,  not 
so  much  in  the  form  of  the  conversion,  as  in 
what  flows  out  of  it.    But  we  will  still  insist 

[16] 


PROLOG 


as  to  the  value  of  that  experience.  *^  Blame 
not  the  word  conversion,"  says  Carlyle. 
"  Rejoice,  rather,  that  such  a  word,  signify- 
ing such  a  thing,  has  come  to  light  in  our 
modern  era,  though  hidden  from  the  wisest 
ancients."  There  has  been  no  religion  with- 
out conversion,  and  where  philosophy  re- 
placed religion,  you  still  have  conversion. 
But  it  is  impossible  to  standardize  conver- 
sion, because  you  cannot  reduce  human  na- 
ture to  a  uniform  level.  As  long  as  a  man 
has  an  individual  history  and  individual  char- 
acteristics, there  will  be  differing  forms  of 
conversion. 

So  Professor  James,  in  his  "Varieties  of 
Religious  Experience,"  sounds  the  whole 
gamut,  from  the  experience  of  the  matter-of- 
fact  soul,  to  that  of  the  mystic ;  tho  it  is  fair 
to  say  that  the  Professor  is  not  so  much  in- 
terested in  the  religious,  as  in  the  psychologic 
side  of  that  experience.  We  will  not  find 
serious  fault  with  him,  even  when  he  says: 
"  If  the  fruits  for  life  of  the  state  of  con- 
version are  good,  we  ought  to  idealize  and 
venerate  it,  even  tho  it  be  a  piece  of  natural 
psychology;  if  not,  we  ought  to  make  short 
[17] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


work  of  it,  no  matter  what  supernatural  being 
may  have  infused  it." 

In  the  cases  which  are  here  presented,  we 
shall  not  have  much  to  say  about  the  psychol- 
ogy or  philosophy  of  them.  A  little  by  way 
of  prolog,  and  a  little  by  way  of  epilog,  will 
be  sufficient.  These  are,  for  the  most  part, 
personal  incidents  which  have  come  within 
the  range  of  the  writer's  experience,  and  they 
are  offered  for  what  they  are  worth.  Each 
reader  is  at  liberty  to  have  a  philosophy  of 
his  own,  and  to  get  out  of  these  events  such 
teaching  as  he  is  able.  All  we  vouch  for  is 
the  fact  of  the  changed  life  which  grew  out 
of  the  events  here  described.  In  each  case  we 
bear  testimony  to  the  "expulsive  power  of 
a  new  affection,"  whether  it  was  in  the  case 
of  the  child  or  the  prison  bird,  or  the  banker's 
clerk.  Each  man  is  bound  to  look  at  the 
whole  matter  from  the  standpoint  of  his  own 
experience,  and  hence,  of  his  own  capacity. 

It  may  be  objected  that  the  writer  has 
given  too  much  time  to  what  follows  after 
conversion,  and  that  he  has  been  rather  more 
interested  in  the  development  than  in  the  be- 
ginning of  the  Christian  life.     To  that  soft 

[18] 


PROLOG 


impeaclimeiit,  we  must  plead  guilty,  for  we 
are  quite  convinced  that  the  value  of  the  ex- 
perience which  we  call  conversion,  is  to  be 
wholly  rated  by  what  flows  out  of  it  of  spirit- 
ual and  ethical  power.  In  some  of  these 
cases,  therefore,  we  have  given  larger  space 
to  the  fruit  than  to  the  seed;  to  the  harvest- 
ing, than  to  the  sowing. 

There  will  always  be  some  who  think  of 
the  world  itself  as  the  product  of  purely  nat- 
ural causes;  and  some  who  will  even  go  so 
far  as  to  speak  of  life  as  "  struck  out  by  im- 
pinging worlds  " ;  or  "  the  product  of  the  for- 
tuitous concourse  of  atoms."  It  will  always 
be  true  that 

"  Some  call  it  Evolution 
And  others  call  it  God." 

Let  me  give  a  parable  to  the  critics.  "  Yes- 
terday," says  Kepler,  "when  weary  with 
writing  and  my  mind  quite  dusty  with  con- 
sidering these  atoms,  I  was  called  to  supper, 
and  a  salad  I  had  asked  for  was  set  before 
me.  '  It  seems,  then,'  said  I  aloud,  *  that  if 
pewter  dishes,  leaves  of  lettuce,  grains  of 

[19] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


salt,  drops  of  vinegar  and  oil,  and  slices  of 
eggs  had  been  floating  about  in  the  air  from 
all  eternity,  it  might  at  last  happen  by  chance, 
that  there  would  come  a  salad ! '  '  Yes,'  said 
my  wife,  '  but  not  so  nice  and  well-dressed  as 
this  of  mine  is ! '  "  To  the  critic  of  conver- 
sion I  need  but  add :  "  He  that  hath  ears  to 
hear,  let  him  hear !  " 


[20] 


I 

CHRISTED  LIVES 


The  truth  in  God's  breast, 
Lies  trace  upon  trace  on  ours  impressed; 
Though  He  is  so  bright  and  we  so  dim, 
We  are  made  in  His  image  to  witness  Him. 

"  Chbistmas  Eve  " — Browning. 

"  We  must  work  out  our  own  salvation.  There  is  a 
Promised  Land,  but  God  is  in  no  hurry  to  have  it  occupied, 
except  by  people  of  the  right  sort/*  Boivne. 

"  Have  we  not  a  right  to  know  and  to  know  that  we  know  ? 
Faith  is  not  credulity.  Our  hope  is  not  a  brilliant  and  beau- 
tiful and  shadowy  '  perhaps.'  It  is  an  assurance,  a  conviction. 
We  are  in  the  grip  of  a  great  unyielding  certainty.  '  We 
have  doubts  enough,  now,'  said  the  old  Scotch  farmer  to  his 
new  minister ;  '  tell  us,  mon,  what    you  do  know.' " 

Malcolm  J.  McLeod. 


I 

CHEISTED   LIVES 

The  most  colossal  and  unbending  thing  to 
face  is  a  fact.  So  long  as  the  matter  in  dis- 
pute is  a  theory,  one  opinion  may  be  as  good 
as  another.  A  man  may  guess  at  half  and 
multiply  it  by  two,  and  stand  by  the  product 
against  all  comers.  But  when  a  fact  strides 
into  view,  every  theory  that  opposes  it  must 
at  last  bite  the  dust.  The  realm  of  religious 
experience  is  not  a  realm  of  theory,  but  a 
realm  of  fact.  St.  Paul  was  as  certain  of 
that  as  he  could  be  of  anything.  We  pre- 
sume he  was  accustomed  to  say  about  many 
things,  "  I  knowJ^  And  no  one  has  any  fault 
to  find  with  that.  But  Paul  insisted  that 
there  was  one  thing  which  he  knew  with 
greater  assurance  than  anything  else,  and  we 
must  let  him  finish  out  his  sentence  without 
interruption  and  without  criticism :  "  I  know 
whom  I  have  believed." 

The  source  of  all  spiritual  knowledge  is 
Christ.    The  Christian  religion  is  not  a  phi- 

[23] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


losophy  nor  a  system  of  ethics;  it  is  not 
founded  upon  a  dogma  nor  even  upon  a  book. 
It  has  its  Alpha  and  Omega  in  Jesus  Christ. 
We  have  been  treated  in  the  past  with  great 
discussions  between  Science  and  Eeligion, 
like  a  discussion  between  Poetry  and  Math- 
ematics, carried  on  for  the  most  part  as  has 
been  well  said,  "  between  religious  people 
who  knew  little  about  science,  and  scientific 
people  who  knew  less  about  religion."  But 
neither  religion  nor  science  was  much  bene- 
fited by  the  discussion.  Jesus  Christ  stands 
in  religion  where  no  man  stands  in  science. 
In  religion  He  is  able  to  say  the  last  word. 
The  world  has  never  had  but  one  Jesus 
Christ  and  it  will  never  need  another. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  what  changes  and 
improvements  have  been  made  in  art  and  in 
science,  in  philosophy  and  psychologj^  The 
world  has  outgrown  one  after  another  of  its 
systems,  but  Jesus  Christ  is  still  supreme. 
"  No  word  of  His  has  fallen  to  the  ground, 
and  as  we  look  over  the  threshold  into  the 
next  era,  we  can  see  the  end  of  our  perplex- 
ities, our  plans  and  our  desires,  only  in  the 
better  following  of  the  counsels  that  He  gave 

[24] 


CHRISTED   LIVES 


in  the  beginning.  In  Him  God  speaks,  and 
we  listen."  The  problem  of  doubt  is  solved 
in  the  word  of  Jesus  Christ.  It  has  been  the 
coming  of  Christ  into  the  life  that  has  trans- 
formed it — the  consciousness  that  in  some 
way  a  power  not  its  own  was  working  within 
the  soul.  If  a  bee  builds  its  cell  according 
to  a  wisdom  greater  than  its  own  little  ken, 
why  should  it  be  thought  a  thing  incredible 
that  tlie  soul  itself  should  feel  a  divine  in- 
stinct and  illumination  which  it  may  pro- 
foundly realize,  tho  it  cannot  explain?  It 
is  only  the  life  which  has  been  Christed  that 
becomes  superior  to  earthly  temptations  and 
vacillations,  and  that  to  the  extent  to  which 
the  Christ-life  dominates  it.  To  the  reality 
of  this  fact,  all  ages  since  the  days  of  the 
Nazarene  bear  testimony.  By  the  might  of 
their  own  feebleness,  the  early  Church  con- 
quered, and  in  every  age  the  anvil  broke  the 
hammer,  and  the  things  which  were  not 
brought  to  naught  the  things  which  were.  It 
would  be  sad  if  the  assurance  of  His  presence 
grew  less  with  the  passing  years,  and  that 
those  who  were  nearest  to  Him  in  point  of 
time  were  also  most  assured  of  His  presence. 

[25] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


But  the  reverse  of  that  seems  rather  to  be 
true.  The  multiplication  of  the  happy  expe- 
riences of  men  and  women  seems  never  to 
have  been  so  wonderful  as  now.  Much  is 
made  by  some  people  of  the  miracles  record- 
ed in  the  Gospels.  Some  others  will  have  it 
that  the  Gospels  float  the  miracles  rather 
than  the  miracles  the  Gospels.  There  are 
many  of  us  who  have  never  been  disturbed 
above  measure  with  all  that  materialism  has 
had  to  say  against  the  miracles  of  Jesus' 
time.  For  at  almost  any  time  we  have  had 
a  few  fresh  miracles  of  our  own  that  were 
sufficient  to  make  possible  to  our  thought 
any  miracles  which  might  have  preceded 
them,  and  were  so  blest  and  real  in  them- 
selves as  to  give  us  infinite  heart  and  courage 
for  any  future  exercise  of  faith. 

All  literature  is  being  filled  with  the  glori- 
ous testimony  of  miracles  of  grace.  There  is 
no  question  as  to  the  possibility  of  degen- 
eration. It  is  everywhere,  in  nature  and  in 
human  life.  We  see  how  men  can  regenerate 
the  face  of  nature ;  is  there  no  way  of  regen- 
erating the  soul?  Is  the  path  to  ruin  the 
only  one  open?    Has  God  ordained  that  men 

[26] 


CHRISTED  LIVES 


may  go  freely  in  that  path  but  never  turn, 
to  set  their  faces  toward  the  blest  heights 
of  perfection?  Washington  Gladden  force- 
fully says :  "  The  fact  that  man  can  deterio- 
rate is  a  fact  that  sometimes  calls  loud  for 
explanation.  If  you  would  couple  with  that 
the  belief  that  improvement  is  impossible, 
that  there  is  no  turning  back  from  the  down- 
ward road,  the  stars  would  be  blotted  from 
the  sky.  No  right-minded  man  would  want 
to  live  in  such  a  world  as  that."  He  gives 
us  many  reasons  for  believing  that  it  is  pos- 
sible for  men  to  turn  from  the  ways  of  death 
to  those  of  life. — There  is  a  God,  and  He  is 
good ;  all  literature  and  language  assume  the 
possibility  of  such  a  change;  it  is  the  witness 
of  consciousness.  But  one  of  the  great  rea- 
sons for  believing  it,  he  says,  is  that  "we 
have  seen  the  thing  taking  place.  We  have 
seen  men  under  the  influence  of  the  high- 
est motives,  with  the  expression  of  trust  in 
God  and  prayer  to  Him,  turning  from  evil 
courses  and  beginning  lives  of  faith  and  vir- 
tue." Some  of  us  have  the  record  of  scores 
and  hundreds  of  such  cases ;  we  have  seen  the 

[27] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


better  life,  thus  consciously  begun,  go  on  with- 
out interruption,  till  the  day  of  death. 

Conversion,  as  we  shall  show  in  this  book, 
takes  many  forms.  It  may  come  from  a  sin- 
gle word,  as  in  the  case  of  Savonarola;  or 
from  a  sunrise,  or  a  sunset,  or  the  tear  of  a 
friend.  Whatever  the  act  was,  it  was  the 
door  through  which  Christ  came  into  the  life, 
and  ever  after  a  man  is  changed.  To  be  used 
of  God  to  open  the  closed  doors  of  the  hearts 
of  men  is  a  dignity  and  promotion  high 
enough  for  man  or  archangel.  It  is  some- 
thing to  snatch  a  child  from  the  hot  breath 
of  the  flame  and  give  him  back  alive  and  well 
to  his  mother.  It  is  something  to  rescue  man 
or  maid  from  the  rushing  train ;  or,  breasting 
the  billows  at  the  risk  of  one's  life,  to  save 
from  a  watery  grave  the  dear  object  of  hu- 
man love  and  devotion.  But,  measured  by 
consequences,  seen  in  the  light  which  will  not 
go  out  when  the  stars  have  paled  and  the 
heavens  are  no  more,  the  greatest  business 
into  which  a  man  can  venture,  is  to  put  him- 
self in  the  hands  of  God,  to  be  used  of  Him 
when  the  lives  which  will  tread  the  eternities, 
are  wavering  in  the  balance. 

[28] 


CHRISTED  LIVES 


In  her  ^'  Scenes  of  Clerical  Life,"  George 
Eliot  has  written  the  story  of  "  Janet's  Ke- 
pentance."  It  is  a  good  story  for  both  the 
lovers  and  critics  of  evangelism  to  read. 
George  Eliot,  we  may  suppose,  was  not  much 
in  love  with  what  she  calls  "  evangelicalism." 
But  the  record  she  gives  of  the  humble  labors 
of  Edgar  Tryan,  Curate,  is  enough  to  make 
conversion  real  to  every  reader  and  to  heart- 
en every  man  who  is  willing  to  throw  his  life 
away  in  the  rescue  of  his  kind.  While  she 
thinks  it  possible  that  some  of  Mr.  Tryan's 
hearers  had  gained  a  religious  vocabulary 
rather  than  a  religious  experience ;  that  folly 
mistook  itself  for  wisdom;  ignorance  gave 
itself  airs  of  knowledge;  and  selfishness, 
turning  its  eyes  upward,  called  itself  relig- 
ion ;  "  nevertheless,"  she  says,  "  evangelical- 
ism had  brought  into  palpable  existence  and 
operation  in  Milby  society  that  idea  of  duty, 
that  recognition  of  something  to  be  lived  for 
beyond  the  mere  satisfaction  of  self,  which 
is  to  the  moral  life  what  the  adoption  of  a 
great  central  ganglion  is  to  animal  life."  She 
admits,  what  we  are  all  willing  to  do,  that 
it  is  possible  some  men  make  the  idea  of  a 

[29] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


heaven  in  reserve  for  themselves,  a  little  too 
prominent.  But  they  at  least  believe  that  fit- 
ness for  that  heaven  consists  in  purity  of 
heart,  Christ-like  compassion,  and  the  sub- 
duing of  selfish  desires.  Perhaps  in  their 
Puritan  zeal  they  called  some  things  sin 
which  were  not  so,  but  when  they  thought 
a  thing  was  sin,  they  let  it  alone.  "  Color- 
blindness, which  may  mistake  drab  for  scar- 
let, is  better  than  total  blindness,  which 
sees  no  distinction  of  color  at  all."  Con- 
cerning the  criticism  which  fell  like  a  flood 
upon  the  Curate  and  his  methods,  she  says, 
*'  the  blest  work  of  helping  the  world  for- 
ward happily  does  not  wait  to  be  done 
by  perfect  men;  and  I  should  imagine  that 
neither  Luther  nor  John  Bunyan,  for  esJ- 
ample,  would  have  satisfied  the  modern  de- 
mand for  an  ideal  hero,  who  believes  noth- 
ing but  what  is  true,  feels  nothing  but  what 
is  exalted,  and  does  nothing  but  what  is 
graceful."  Even  George  Eliot  will  not  be  a 
critic  of  such  a  man.  "  I  am  on  the  level  and 
in  the  press  with  him,  as  he  struggles  his 
way  along  the  stony  road  through  the  crowd 
of  unloving  fellowmen.     He  is   stumbling, 

[30] 


CHRISTED   LIVES 


perhaps ;  his  heart  now  beats  fast  with  dread, 
now  heavily  with  anguish.  His  eyes  are 
sometimes  dim  with  tears,  which  he  makes 
haste  to  dash  away.  He  pushes  manfully  on 
with  fluctuating  faith  and  courage,  with  a 
sometimes  failing  body.  At  last  he  falls. 
The  struggle  is  ended,  and  the  crowd  closes 
over  the  space  he  has  left  .  .  .  yet  surely, 
surely,  the  only  true  knowledge  of  our  fellow- 
men  is  that  which  enables  us  to  feel  with 
them,  which  gives  us  a  fine  ear  for  the  heart 
pulses  that  are  beating  under  the  mere 
clothes  of  circumstance  and  opinion.  Our 
subtlest  analysis  of  schools  and  sects  must 
miss  the  essential  truth,  unless  it  be  lit  up 
by  the  love  which  sees  in  all  forms  of  human 
thought  and  work,  the  life  and  death  strug- 
gles of  separate  human  beings." 

It  is  not  necessary  to  give  the  details  of 
the  changed  life  of  Janet  Dempster.  It 
was  the  old  miracle,  which,  thank  God,  will 
always  be  necessary  and  always  possible, 
so  long  as  ruddy  drops  visit  the  sad  hearts 
of  men,  and  the  dust  of  the  flying  years 
and  the  mists  of  doubt  do  not  obliterate 
from  human  eyes  the  truth  of  the  deathless 

3  [31] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE  GLEAM 


page :  "  For  God  so  loved  the  world  that 
He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son,  that  who- 
soever believeth  in  Him  should  not  perish, 
but  have  everlasting  life."  This  is  the  way 
George  Eliot  closes  the  story  of  "Janet's 
Eepentance " :  "  There  is  a  simple  grave- 
stone in  Milby  Churchyard,  telling  that  '  in 
this  spot  lie  the  remains  of  Edgar  Tryan, 
for  two  years  officiating  curate  at  the  Paddi- 
ford  Chapel  of  Ease,  in  this  parish.'  It  is  a 
meager  memorial,  and  tells  you  simply  that 
the  man  who  lies  there  took  upon  him,  faith- 
fully or  unfaithfully,  the  office  of  guide  and 
instructor  to  his  fellowmen. 

"  But  there  is  another  memorial  of  Edgar 
Tryan,  which  bears  a  fuller  record:  it  is 
Janet  Dempster,  rescued  from  self-despair, 
strengthened  with  divine  hopes,  and  now 
looking  back  on  years  of  purity  and  helpful 
labor.  The  man  who  has  left  such  a  memo- 
rial behind  him,  must  have  been  one  whose 
heart  beat  with  true  compassion,  and  whose 
lips  were  moved  by  fervent  faith." 

Dr.  Jackson,  in  his  "  Cole  Lectures,"  "  The 
Fact  of  Conversion,"  makes  the  Church  his 
debtor  by  a  most  interesting  array  of  the 

[32] 


CHRISTED   LIVES 


facts  which  cluster  about  the  phenomena  of 
conversion,  and  differing  somewhat  from  the 
point  of  view  presented  by  Professor  Will- 
iam James,  in  his  "  Varieties  of  Eeligious 
Experience."  He  reminds  us  that  Mr.  Stead, 
the  well-known  journalist,  describes  in  detail 
the  definite  religious  experience  through 
which  he  passed  when  a  school-boy  twelve 
years  of  age.  He  says,  "It  is  forty-three 
years  since  that  revival  at  school,  and  the 
whole  of  my  life  has  been  influenced  by  the 
change  which  men  call  '  Conversion,'  which 
occurred  to  me  when  I  was  twelve  years  old. 
That  potent  thing,  whatever  you  may  call  it, 
and  however  you  may  experience  it,  which 
enables  me  to  resist  temptation  and  bear  bur- 
dens which  otherwise  might  have  crushed  me 
with  their  weight,  came  into  my  life  then,  and 
abides  with  me  to  this  hour." 

Every  man  who  knows  anything  about  re- 
vival work  has  seen  men  come  to  the  altar, 
anxious  and  restless,  feeling  after  God  in 
the  darkness  and  give  testimony,  as  Dr.  Dale 
did  at  Birmingham,  "they  went  away  at 
peace  with  God,  and  filled  with  joy.  I  have 
seen  the  sun  rise  from  the  top  of  Helvellyn 

[33] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


and  the  top  of  Riglii,  and  there  is  something 
very  glorious  in  it;  but  to  see  the  light  of 
heaven  suddenly  strike  on  man  after  man  in 
the  course  of  an  evening,  is  much  more  thrill- 
ing.'^ These  men  are  to  be  found  in  all  the 
churches  and  their  experiences  are  not  the 
least  part  of  the  case  which  Christianity  pre- 
sents to  science  for  inquiry  and  for  judg- 
ment. John  Henry  Newman,  near  the  close 
of  his  life  said  that  he  was  as  conscious  of  his 
conversion  at  fifteen  as  of  any  fact  of  his  life. 
He  said,  ''  I  look  back  at  the  end  of  seventy 
years  on  what  I  was,  as  if  I  were  looking  on 
another  person." 

The  great  scholar,  Delitsch  of  Leipsic,  said, 
in  his  "  Last  Confession  of  Faith,"  "  My 
spiritual  life  finds  root  in  the  miraculous  soil 
of  that  first  love  which  I  experienced  with 
Lehmann  and  others ;  still  to  me  is  the  reality 
of  miracles  sealed  by  the  miracles  of  grace 
which  I  saw  with  my  own  eyes  in  the  con- 
gregation of  this  blest  valley."  The  great 
professor,  Gaston  Frommel,  speaking  of  his 
own  conversion,  says,  "  That  day  lies  a  long 
way  behind  me  in  the  past ;  but  it  shines  there 
as  the  day  of  a  new  birth."    One  of  the  great 

[34] 


CHRISTED   LIVES 


historians  wrote  years  ago,  ^'  It  is  not  un- 
common for  men  and  women  suddenly  to 
awake  to  the  fact  that  they  have  been  sinners 
and  to  determine  tliat  henceforth  they  will 
keep  God's  commandments,  by  the  help  of 
Jesus  Christ  and  the  Holy  Spirit.  And 
they  did  it." 

A  man  who  knows  the  life  of  John  Wesley, 
cradled  from  his  youth  in  every  virtue,  would 
be  inclined  to  ask  what  was  the  need  of  con- 
version for  John  Wesley.  The  answer  to 
that  is  that  John  Wesley  himself  says  if  it 
had  not  been  for  that  one  golden  hour  on 
May  24,  1738,  when  his  heart  was  strangely 
warmed  with  what  he  calls  his  "  conversion," 
there  would  have  been  no  world-wide  Meth- 
odism, and  the  eighteenth  century  would 
never  have  known  its  greatest  power  for 
righteousness.  Mr.  Augustine  Birrell  asked 
a  Cornish  miner  how  it  happened  that  his 
people  were  all  temperate.  His  answer  was, 
"  There  came  a  man  among  us  once,  and  his 
name  was  John  Wesley." 

We  talk  about  the  evidence  of  Christianity. 
Christianity  is  its  own  evidence.  It  proves 
itself.     It  is  a  demonstration,  not  by  argu- 

[35] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


ment  but  by  what  it  does.  Christianity  will 
hold  its  own  in  the  study  or  in  the  witness 
box.  But  if  you  wish  to  see  it  in  its  great- 
ness, you  must  see  it  at  work.  Now,  as  of  old, 
the  record  is  written :  "  And  beholding  the 
man  which  was  healed  standing  with  them, 
they  could  say  nothing  against  it."  There 
is  a  great  deal  of  flippant  and  critical  talk 
about  the  Gospel  records  and  the  Gospel 
story,  but  the  Gospel  itself  remains  the  one 
thing  on  earth  which  has  power  to  cast  out 
devils,  to  tame  the  wild  lusts  and  passions  of 
the  human  heart,  and  no  weapon  that  is 
formed  against  it  can  prosper. 

Here  are  two  men  as  wide  apart  in  train- 
ing and  experience  as  men  could  well  be. 
But  their  testimony  is  in  substance  the  same. 
Samuel  H.  Hadley  of  Water  Street  fame, 
gave  almost  the  last  testimony  of  his  life 
standing  at  the  altar  of  our  church.  He 
quoted  the  words  of  a  Lancashire  drunkard, 
who  said :  "  Eeligion  has  changed  my  heart, 
my  home,  and  you  can  all  see  it  has  changed 
my  face.  I  hear  some  of  these  Londoners 
call  themselves  '  Positivists.'  Bless  God,  I 
am  a  '  positivist.'     I  am  positive  God  for 

[36] 


CHRISTED  LIVES 


Christ's  sake  has  pardoned  my  sins,  changed 
my  heart  and  made  me  a  new  creature." 

Far  removed  from  such  men  in  critical  acu- 
men, was  George  Eomanes.  When  he  was 
slowly  feeling  his  way  back  to  Christian 
faith,  with  a  scientist's  instinct  for  facts, 
he  said,  St.  Augustine,  after  thirty  years  of 
age  and  other  fathers,  bear  testimony  to  a 
sudden,  enduring,  and  extraordinary  change 
in  themselves  called  "  conversion."  This  ex- 
perience has  been  repeated  and  testified  by 
countless  millions  of  civilized  men  and  wom- 
en in  all  nations  and  all  degrees  of  culture. 
It  is  a  great  comfort  to  know  that  Eomanes 
came  himself  to  admit,  that  it  was  reasonable 
to  be  a  Christian  believer,  even  before  the 
activity  or  habit  of  faith  had  been  recov- 
ered ;  but  it  is  a  greater  joy  to  be  assured  that 
before  his  death,  he  came  into  the  full,  delib- 
erate communion  with  Jesus  Christ,  for 
which  his  soul  yearned.  With  him  "  the  pure 
in  heart,"  after  a  long  period  of  darkness, 
was  allowed  to  "  see  God."  But  greater  than 
even  the  testimony  of  men,  is  the  reality  of 
conversion  in  their  own  consciousness,  in  the 
altering  of  human  thought  and  judgment  and 
[37] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


action.  For  conversion  has  a  life  to  show 
as  the  result  of  it.  We  are  concerned  not  so 
much  as  to  what  conversion  is,  as  to  what 
it  effects.  The  best  thing  that  history  has  to 
show  is  that  conversion,  in  the  words  of  Ro- 
manes, "is  not  a  mere  change  of  belief  or 
opinion.  The  point  is  that  it  is  a  modification 
of  character."  Browning  paints  again  and 
again  the  transformation  which  comes  from 
a  gleam  of  God,  and  he  is  the  great  poet- 
apostle  of  conversion.    Hear  him  say ; 

"  So  may  the  truth  be  flashed  out  by  one  blow, 
And  Guide  see  one  instant,  and  be  saved." 

*^  Conversion  is  the  soul's  return  to  God. 
Therefore  let  every  man  journey  by  the  road 
that  lies  open  to  him." 

It  is  Christ  in  you  that  is  the  "hope  of 
glory."  The  knowledge  which  we  are  to  seek 
after  is  "  that  we  may  know  Him,  whom  to 
know  aright  is  life  eternal."  The  only  life 
which  waves  the  banner  of  triumph  over  the 
world,  the  flesh  and  the  devil,  is  the  Christed 
life.  Well  says  Borden  P.  Bowne:  "Chris- 
tianity is  a  religion  for  all  sorts  and  condi- 

[38] 


CHRISTED   LIVES 


tions  of  men,  for  all  ages  and  temperaments. 
There  is  a  bright  and  cheery  religion  for 
childhood  and  youth,  and  a  more  somber  and 
deeper-toned  religion  for  later  years.  It  has 
matin  bells  for  life's  morning  and  vesper 
songs  for  the  night.  Work  and  prayer,  con- 
templation, obedience,  aspiration,  commun- 
ion, all  mix  and  mingle  in  the  complex  ex- 
perience of  the  Christian  community ;  but  the 
one  thing  common  to  all,  the  one  thing  with 
which  all  may  begin  and  which  none  may  ever 
outgrow,  is  obedient  loyalty  to  the  spirit  and 
commands  of  our  Lord." 


[39] 


II 

THE    CONVERSION    AND    LIFE    OF 
JOHN  S.   HUYLER 


Goodness  outranks  goods.  A  bursting  barn  and  a  godless 
heart  proclaim  a  fool  without  hope.  Life  is  more  than 
meat  and  the  body  than  raiment,  and  a  soul  outweighs  the 
world.  So  character  must  come  before  comforts  and  God 
before  bread.  "  Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his 
righteousness  and  all  these  things  shall  be  added  unto  you." 

M.  D.  Bah  cock. 

It  is  really  not  so  wonderful  that  religion  should  trans- 
form character  and  give  new  birth  to  personality  as  that  it 
should  inspire  pure  and  holy  people  with  a  love  for  the 
degraded,  the  debased,  and  the  lost.  That  is,  it  seems  to  me 
the  great  testimony  of  conversion,  the  love  and  the  faith 
of  those  good  and  gentle  souls  who  gave  their  lives  in 
rescuing  the  outcasts  of  society.  Religion  alone  can  create 
this  sublime  impulse.  Bighie, 


n 

THE  CONVEESION  AND  LIFE  OF 
JOHN  S.  HUYLER 

It  is  probably  true  that  never  in  the  his- 
tory of  Methodism  has  there  been  a  layman 
whose  gifts  to  the  Church  and  humanity  have 
been  so  many  and  so  varied  as  those  of  John 
S.  Huyler.  I  shall  be  glad  if  I  may  help  to 
inspire,  by  the  record  of  his  life,  other  lay- 
men to  imitate,  according  to  their  ability,  his 
consecration  and  benefactions. 

Measured  by  its  influence  upon  the  world, 
it  was  a  great  day  when  John  S.  Huyler  gave 
his  heart  to  God,  and  felt  the  transforming 
power  of  a  new  affection.  So  deep  was  his 
sense  of  obligation  to  God  that  he  only 
thought  of  himself  as  a  steward,  called  for  a 
little  time  to  use  for  His  glory,  and  for  the 
good  of  men,  that  which  God  put  into  his 
hand.  For  years  his  gifts  aggregated  more 
than  a  thousand  dollars  a  day.  He  felt  that 
he  was  trusted  of  God,  and  often  said  that  he 

[43] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


feared  to  be  recreant  to  the  great  trust.  He 
was  peculiar  among  philanthropists  in  that 
he  looked  through  the  cause,  to  the  individual. 
With  his  money  he  gave  himself.  He  fairly 
wore  himself  out  day  after  day,  listening  to 
individual  cases  of  sorrow  and  of  want.  If 
a  man  had  a  cause  that  promised  to  help 
humanity,  it  seemed  almost  impossible  for 
Mr.  Huyler  not  to  help  it.  Often,  when  I 
had  apologized  to  him  for  presenting  some 
cause  to  his  attention,  he  would  respond: 
"Never  feel  troubled  about  that:  God  has 
called  me  to  the  work  of  helping  people,  and 
I  am  glad  to  do  it." 

We  are  all  of  us  especially  interested  in 
how  such  a  great  life  and  influence  came  to 
be;  and  before  I  give  further  illustration  of 
the  beneficences  of  his  life,  I  must  speak  of 
that  in  which  we  are  especially  interested — 
the  experience  by  which  he  was  transformed 
so  that  the  things  he  once  loved  he  hated, 
and  the  things  which  had  no  charm  for  him 
became  his  chief  concern. 

It  is  true  that  John  S.  Huyler,  before  he 
was  converted,  had  a  kindly  heart.  It  is  true 
that  he  loved  to  help  everyone  who  was  un- 

[44] 


THE  CONVERSION  AND  LIFE  OF  JOHN  S.  HUYLER 

fortunate;  that  he  could  not  bear  conflict; 
that  he  would  do  almost  anything  rather  than 
fight.  But  it  is  true  that  he  never  found  him- 
self, never  opened  his  heart  to  the  needs  of 
the  great  world,  until  God  touched  it.  His 
remedy  for  all  weakness  and  wickedness  was 
conversion.  He  believed  in  the  cleansing 
power  of  the  grace  of  God,  the  transforming 
power  of  a  holy  affection.  There  were  no 
men  at  the  Water  Street  Mission  so  far  gone 
that  he  did  not  believe  that  the  grace  of  God 
could  reach  them.  There  were  no  men  so 
cultured,  so  cold,  that  he  did  not  believe 
that  a  miracle  of  grace  should  be  wrought 
and  could  be  wrought  in  them,  if  only  the 
blessed  Christ  might  touch  their  hearts.  His 
favorite  and  crafty  prescription  for  men 
whom  all  the  world  had  forsaken,  was  to  tell 
them  that  he  would  give  them  two  dollars  a 
day  if  they  would  go  down  every  night  to 
the  McAuley  Mission  on  Water  Street,  see 
the  service  through,  and  write  him  the  next 
morning  what  happened,  and  what  their  im- 
pressions were  with  regard  to  the  value  of  the 
services.  Again  and  again  what  they  saw 
smote  them  to  the  heart  and  they  who  went 

[45] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE  GLEAM 


as  critics  came  away  converted.  They  went 
to  make  a  scanty  living,  they  found  a  new  and 
abundant  life. 

Mr.  Huyler  was  born  in  a  godly  home.  His 
father,  David  Huyler,  and  his  mother,  were 
devout  Methodists,  of  large  influence  in  the 
Methodism  of  New  York.  For  many  years 
they  were  connected  with  Jane  Street  Church, 
where  Mr.  Huyler  went  in  his  youth.  They 
moved  later  to  the  Harlem  district  of  the  city, 
and  at  once  identified  themselves  with  the 
religious  life  of  the  community.  "  Mother 
Huyler  "  was  long  known  as  a  woman  of  deep 
piety  and  consecration.  Mr.  Huyler  loved  to 
tell  how  the  keeping  of  the  Sabbath  had  really 
been  at  the  bottom  of  his  success  in  business. 
His  father  had  a  bakery  and  in  connection 
with  it,  sold  candy  and  ice-cream.  At  last 
Lis  customers  requested  that  they  might  have 
their  ice-cream  delivered  on  Sunday  morn- 
ing. He  refused  to  do  that,  and  some  of  his 
customers  said :  "  We  are  sorry  to  leave  you, 
but  other  men  will  deliver  us  the  cream  on 
Sunday,  for  our  Sunday  dinner,  and  if  we 
buy  of  them  the  cream,  we  shall  also  buy  of 
them  the  cake."    So  he  saw  many  of  his  cus- 

[46] 


THE  CONVERSION  AND  LIFE  OF  JOHN  S.  HUYLER 

tomers  leaving  him.  Eather  than  give  np  his 
principles  with  regard  to  the  observance  of 
the  Sabbath,  he  gave  up  the  ice-cream  busi- 
ness. 

On  one  occasion,  as  we  were  passing  the 
door  of  a  most  successful  ice-cream  company, 
Mr.  Huyler  said  to  me,  "  We  might  have  had 
that  business  if  it  had  not  been  for  keeping 
the  Sabbath.''  Trained  in  such  a  home  as  I 
have  indicated,  Mr.  Huyler  grew  up  with 
strong  ideas  as  to  the  value  of  a  Christian 
life.  He  had  no  question  that  there  was  such 
a  life,  for  he  had  seen  it  exemplified  day  by 
day  in  his  own  home,  where  they  would  stand 
by  a  principle  at  any  cost.  Altho  he  had 
been  accustomed  to  church  attendance,  and 
felt  the  solicitude  of  an  anxious  father  and 
mother,  the  temptations  of  the  city  had  en- 
snared his  feet  and  as  he  came  to  manhood, 
he  had  drifted  away  from  the  teachings  and 
practises  of  his  father  and  mother,  altho  he 
still  went  to  church.  It  was  a  great  sorrow 
to  their  hearts,  but  they  never  ceased  to  pray 
for  him,  and  they  never  ceased  to  believe  that 
God  would  answer  their  prayer.     His  own 

4  [47] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


conversion,  as  lie  related  it  to  me  more  than 
once,  was  after  tMs  fashion. 

A  generation  ago,  New  Year's  was  a  great 
day  with  the  young  men  of  New  York.  There 
was  a  round  of  festivities  which  began  with 
New  Yearns  eve  and  did  not  terminate  until 
New  Year's  Day  had  passed.  Mr.  Huyler 
always  had  plenty  of  money.  He  was  phe- 
nomenally successful,  even  as  a  boy,  in  any 
business  venture.  Before  he  was  out  of  his 
teens,  he  was  getting  a  salary  which  many  a 
man  in  his  maturity  might  have  envied.  As 
he  left  his  store  on  the  afternoon  of  the  last 
day  of  1886,  the  bookkeeper  handed  him  a 
check,  which  represented  his  profits  for  the 
year.  He  was  so  careless  with  regard  to  its 
amount  that  he  put  it  in  his  pocket  without 
reading  it.  Some  of  his  friends  joined  him 
on  the  street,  and  he  came  up  to  Harlem  in 
jolly  company.  After  he  and  his  friends  had 
spent  some  time  together,  they  parted,  hav- 
ing made  arrangements  to  meet  downtown 
and  pass  the  old  year  out  in  the  same  fashion 
in  which  they  had  celebrated  it  for  years. 

A  little  later,  as  he  passed  along  One 
Hundred   and    Twenty-fifth    Street,    he   re- 

[48] 


THE  CONVERSION  AND  LIFE  OF  JOHN  S.  HUYLER 

called  the  check  which  had  been  given  him, 
and,  taking  it  out  of  his  vest  pocket,  stopt 
under  a  street  lamp  to  read  it.  When  he 
saw  the  amount,  it  was  so  great  that  it 
fairly  staggered  him.  Up  to  that  time  he 
had  not  cared  particularly  to  lay  up  money. 
The  size  of  this  check  brought  home  to  his 
consciousness  the  fact  that  he  was  now  stand- 
ing at  the  crisis  in  his  life.  With  so  much 
money  at  his  disposal,  he  felt  that  nothing 
but  the  grace  of  God  could  save  him  from 
the  awful  temptations  which  wealth  pre- 
sented. It  seemed  to  him  that  it  was  the 
turning  point  of  his  life.  He  became  so 
much  imprest  with  this  idea  that,  instead 
of  going  downtown  as  he  had  planned,  he 
went  to  a  Watch  Night  Service  which  was 
being  held  in  a  hall  on  One  Hundred  and 
Twenty-fifth  Street — the  beginning  of  what 
is  now  Calvary  Church.  There  he  found  his 
mother  with  others  kneeling  at  the  altar, 
praying  for  him.  He  went  and  knelt  beside 
her.  That  was  the  beginning  of  his  Christian 
purpose. 

There    was    nothing    spectacular    in    the 
change  of  life  of  which  that  Watch  Night 

[49] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE   GLEAM 


Service  was  the  beginning.  He  had  expected 
a  conversion  after  the  manner  of  St.  Paul's, 
but  it  did  not  come  that  way.  At  the  close 
of  the  service,  he  felt,  still  more  profoundly 
that  he  had  reached  the  turning-point  in  his 
life,  and  prayed  that  he  might  have  power 
over  temptation  and  that  God  would  lead  him 
to  a  clearer  understanding  of  His  will  con- 
cerning him.  Perhaps  he  owed,  in  part,  to 
his  ancestry  and  to  his  training,  his  strong 
sense  of  his  obligation  to  God.  Very  fre- 
quently, when  I  exprest  to  him  my  surprise 
at  the  extent  of  his  benefactions,  he  said :  "  I 
cannot  do  otherwise.  My  sense  of  duty  will 
not  allow  me  to  shirk  a  responsibility  which 
I  feel.''  The  responsibilities  which  were  upon 
him  in  a  business  way,  demanded  the  utmost 
of  his  time  and  energy.  For  the  next  few 
months,  he  seemed  to  be  dwelling  most 
thoughtfully  on  his  religious  condition.  It 
was  a  great  thing  to  turn  from  his  life- 
long associations  and  habits.  Conviction  and 
purpose  were  gathering  and  strengthening, 
which  one  day  would  rise  up,  by  the  help  of 
God,  to  take  a  stand  which  no  temptation  of 
self  could  overthrow.    In  the  following  sum- 

[50] 


THE  CONVERSION  AND  LIFE  OF  JOHN  S.  HUYLER 

mer  he  went  to  Europe  with  some  friends. 
His  partner,  who  was,  perhaps,  more  closely 
in  touch  with  him  than  any  of  his  compan- 
ions, tells  me  that  the  real  crisis  in  his  life 
came  one  day  in  Paris.  A  proposition  was 
made  that  they  should  witness  the  usual 
round  of  gaieties  in  Paris  to  which  travelers 
are  frequently  taken.  When  the  time  for  de- 
cision came,  Mr.  Huyler  said :  ^'  I  will  not 
go :  I  have  decided  that  henceforth,  by  God's 
help,  I  will  be  a  godly  man.''  His  partner 
bears  testimony  that  from  that  hour  he  never 
changed  his  purpose  or  lowered  the  standard 
which  he  had  set  up. 

On  February  5,  1888,  he  was  received  on 
probation  in  Calvary  Church,  and  on  January 
6, 1889,  was  received  in  *'Full  Connection."  In 
his  religious  life,  he  was  throughout,  the  most 
modest  of  men.  He  constantly  depreciated 
his  own  attainments,  and  shrank  from  any 
publicity.  He  believed  the  one  essential  for 
all  Christian  service  was  a  change  of  heart. 
He  often  wished  that  he  had  had  an  ex- 
perience as  striking  as  that  of  some  men 
whom  he  knew.  It  always  gave  him  delight 
when  men  testified  with  definiteness   to  a 

[51] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


certain  place  and  a  certain  hour,  and  cele- 
brated the  anniversary  of  that  kind  of  a  re- 
ligious experience.  It  may  strengthen  some 
other  heart  to  know  that  he  often  experienced 
times  of  religious  depression  when  he  would 
say  to  me :  ^^  I  sometimes  wonder  if  I  have 
been  really  converted."  But  that  mood  would 
soon  pass,  and  he  would  speak  with  great 
assurance  of  the  mercy  of  God,  which  had 
been  exercised  so  blessedly  in  his  behalf. 
Nothing  seemed  to  give  him  quite  so  much 
comfort  religiously  as  to  take  a  hand  him- 
self in  bringing  Christ  to  some  discouraged 
man  or  some  man  whose  life  had  been  thrown 
away  in  the  service  of  evil. 

One  beautiful  result  which  seemed  born  of 
the  mercy  of  God  in  his  own  behalf,  was  that 
Mr.  Huyler  seemed  to  get  the  spirit  of  the 
"  seventy  times  seven "  of  his  Master.  I 
never  knew  a  man  whose  faith  in  men  sur- 
mounted so  many  obstacles,  or  continued  so 
long  after  the  faith  of  others  had  reached 
the  breaking  point.  When  I  spoke  to  him 
about  it,  and  sometimes  queried  whether,  in 
the  language  of  the  street,  he  was  not  allow- 
ing them  to  "work''  him,  he  would  smile, 

[52] 


THE  CONVERSION  AND  LIFE  OF  JOHN  S.  HUYLER 

and  reply :  "  God  bore  long  with  me,  and  we 
must  bear  long  with  such  poor  fellows  as 
these."  You  might  think  he  would  say  to  a 
man  who  had  abused  his  kindness  thrice  over, 
and  gotten  into  trouble  besides,  "  I  told  you 
what  to  do,  and  you  refused  to  do  it.  Now 
you  must  lie  in  the  bed  which  you  have 
made."  But  he  never  said  that.  In  connec- 
tion with  his  experience,  I  often  thought  of 
Ian  Maclaren's  "  Doctor  of  the  Old  School." 
You  remember  how  Drumsheugh  prays  over 
the  dying  doctor: 

"Almichty  God  .  .  .  dinna  be  hard  on  Weelum 
MacLure,  for  he's  no  been  hard  wi'  onybody  in 
Drumtochty.  ...  Be  kind  tae  him  as  he's  been  tae 
us  a'  for  forty  year.  .  .  .  We're  a'  sinners  afore 
Thee.  .  .  .  Forgive  him  what  he's  dmie  wrang,  and 
dinna  cuist  it  up  tae  him." 

So  Mr.  Huyler  would  never  twit  a  man  on 
his  mistakes.  He  would  never  "  cast  it  up  " 
to  him.  He  loved  to  tell  everybody  there  was 
a  chance,  and  it  was  a  great  gospel  he 
preached  by  his  life.  One  could  tell  by  the 
hour  instances  showing  how  he  refused  to 
give  up  men  in  whom  he  had  once  become  in- 

[53] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


terested.  His  family  tells  an  interesting 
story  of  a  man  whom  Mr.  Huyler  took  from 
his  cups  and  gave  a  position  in  his  factory. 
Soon  the  man  said  that  his  wife  was  sick  and 
must  be  taken  to  the  hospital  and  it  would 
cost  ten  dollars  a  week  to  keep  her  there. 
Mr.  Huyler  paid  for  the  taking  of  the  woman 
to  the  hospital,  and  contributed  regularly 
each  week  ten  dollars,  for  several  months. 
One  day  the  man  told  him,  with  tears,  that 
his  wife  was  dead,  and  he  had  no  money  to 
bury  her.  Mr.  Huyler  gave  him  a  liberal  al- 
lowance to  cover  all  funeral  expenses.  A 
few  weeks  afterward,  the  man  said  that  his 
wife's  sister  was  sick  and  must  be  taken  to 
the  hospital.  Mr.  Huyler  started  in  with  the 
usual  contribution  for  hospital  treatment, 
when  it  was  suggested  by  his  family  that  he 
go  to  the  house  and  see  how  the  man  was 
getting  on  at  home.  When  he  rang  the  bell, 
he  was  surprized  to  find  the  man's  wife  at  the 
door.  "  Why,  woman,"  he  said,  "  I  buried 
you  three  weeks  ago !  "  Then  she  learned  for 
the  first  time,  the  deception  that  had  been 
practised  by  her  husband.  Instead  of  throw- 
ing off  the  man  who  had  imposed  upon  him, 

[54] 


THE  CONVERSION  AND  LIFE  OF  JOHN  S.  HUYLER 

he  continued  him  in  his  employ,  with  the 
stipulation  that  his  wife  should  come  each 
week  and  get  his  wages. 

He  was  accustomed  to  have  men  go  around 
to  his  house  and  get  a  ticket  which  would  en- 
title them  to  a  supper  and  lodging.  The 
number  of  these  men  so  increased  that  the 
policeman  called  upon  him  and  told  him  that 
the  people  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  ele- 
gant home  were  objecting  to  the  presence  of 
so  many  of  those  rough  fellows,  and  he 
must  make  other  arrangements  to  meet  their 
needs.  On  a  cold  or  stormy  night  he  would 
often  go  to  the  window  of  his  beautiful  home 
and,  instead  of  turning  to  say  to  himself: 
'^  How  nice  and  comfortable  we  are  in  here ! 
We  ought  to  be  very  happy  and  enjoy  our- 
selves together,"  he  would  press  his  face 
against  the  window-pane  and  say :  "  This  is 
a  bad  night  for  the  boys  on  the  street !  God 
help  the  poor  fellows  without  a  home.  What 
will  the  poor  tramps  do  who  have  no  place  to 
sleep!  "  Then  he  would  call  up  the  missions 
and  make  arrangements  so  that  every  poor 
fellow  who  came  within  their  reach  could  be 
accommodated  with  food  and  shelter. 

[55] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


John  S.  Huyler  was  a  born  gentleman.  He 
was  at  home  in  any  society,  and  knew  the 
amenities  of  social  life.  Instinctively  he  did 
the  kindly  and  gracious  thing.  Through 
many  years  of  intimate  personal  relation 
with  him,  I  never  heard  him  say  an  unkind 
thing,  or  knew  him  to  do  anything  that  would 
not  befit  a  gentleman.  In  his  personal  ap- 
pearance he  was  the  soul  of  neatness  and 
good  taste.  Now,  to  see  such  a  man  throw 
himself  with  utter  abandon,  into  the  work  of 
bringing  a  poor,  lost  soul  to  Christ,  was  a 
beautiful  thing :  to  see  him  put  his  arm  over 
the  shoulder  of  a  poor  wretch  with  the  filth 
of  the  street  still  upon  him,  and  to  tell  a  man 
whom  all  men  seemed  to  have  forgotten,  that 
God  was  interested  in  his  behalf,  and  that 
good  men  still  loved  him  and  wanted  to  help 
him  to  his  feet,  gave  to  some  of  us  a  new 
sense  of  the  yearning  of  soul  which  ought  to 
characterize  the  true  Christian. 

It  was  no  less  beautiful  to  see  him  at  the 
altar  of  his  own  church,  bowing  with  those 
who  were  seeking  Christ  and  urging  upon 
them  the  need  and  the  blessedness  of  a  Chris- 
tian life.    He  loved  to  see  the  young  people 

[56] 


THE  CONVERSION  AND  LIFE;:0F  JOHN  S.  HUYLER 

gathered  there,  and  often  said  to  me :  "  How 
I  wish  I  had  given  my  heart  to  God  in  my 
early  youth ! "  When  any  invitation  was 
given  for  church  members  to  come  to  the  al- 
tar to  speak  with  those  who  were  seeking 
Christ  or  to  pray  for  them,  he  was  always 
among  the  first  to  respond.  He  arrogated  no 
superiority  to  himself,  but  often  said,  "I  wish 
they  would  pray  for  me."  He  did  not  like 
to  be  called  upon  for  public  prayer,  but  very 
frequently  his  heart  cried  out  to  God  most 
tenderly  for  those  who  were  seeking  Him. 

In  showing  how  a  Christian  faith  was  the 
basis  of  every  beautiful  thing  in  Mr.  Huyler's 
life,  perhaps  I  cannot  do  better  than  to  give 
a  fact  which  is  to  me  one  of  the  most  signifi- 
cant and  typical  in  his  career.  Those  who 
have  received  checks  from  him  in  recent 
years,  to  assist  in  any  Christian  and  phil- 
anthropic work,  have  noticed,  after  the  name 
to  whom  the  check  was  made  payable,  the 
note  "  M.  P.  Account."  "  Write  it  large,"  he 
said  to  his  secretary,  "  and  write  it  on  every 
check !  "  If  the  recipient  noticed  the  mystic 
letters  and  ventured  to  inquire  to  what  they 
referred,  he  was  told  that  "  M.  P."  stood  for 

[57] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


*^  My  Partner,"  and  this  was  a  check  that  was 
turned  over  to  that  account.  "  My  Partner  " 
was  He  who  loved  him  and  who  gave  Himself 
for  him,  and  who  had  said :  "  Inasmuch  as  ye 
did  it  unto  these,  ye  did  it  also  unto  me." 
When  I  exprest  my  marvel  at  the  volume 
of  the  checks  in  that  account,  he  said :  "  That 
is  no  virtue  of  mine ;  the  money  is  my  Part- 
ner's and  I  am  only  giving  it  for  Him." 

A  very  large  amount  of  his  giving  was 
done  in  such  a  way  that  he  hoped  nobody 
would  know  who  had  made  the  gift.  He 
seemed  constantly  to  fear  that  he  might  be 
found  lacking  in  some  way :  that  he  might  not 
measure  up  to  the  fulness  of  his  duty.  Per- 
haps I  could  not  give  a  better  illustration 
than  tliis  simple  incident.  He  was  very  much 
interested  in  a  book  which  I  was  writing, 
"Pastoral  and  Personal  Evangelism."  He 
was  anxious  that  I  should  urge  upon  all  pas- 
tors and  churches,  the  importance  of  special 
evangelistic  work.  When  I  asked  him  if  I 
might  dedicate  the  book  to  him,  he  gave  his 
consent,  and  I  wrote  what  seemed  to  me  to  be 
the  simplest  possible  dedication.    It  read : 

[58] 


THE  CONVERSION  AND  LIFE  OF  JOHN  S.  HUYLER 

"  To  MY  DEAR  Friend 
JOHN  S.  HUYLEE. 

A  LOVER  OF   MEN  AND  A  GOOD 
STEWARD  OF  THE  MANIFOLD  GIFTS  OF  GoD." 

He  was  with  me  when  the  proofs  came  from 
the  office,  and  I  passed  over  the  first  pages 
with  the  remark  that  perhaps  he  would  be 
interested  to  read  them.  His  eye  fell  upon 
the  dedication,  and  he  said :  "  Doctor,  you 
will  have  to  change  that.  '  A  lover  of  men ' 
— ^yes,  but  *a  good  steward  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ ! ' — when  I  think  of  all  His  gifts 
to  me,  I  do  not  feel  that  I  could  lay  claim  to 
that ! "  And  so  I  was  obliged  to  leave  that 
page  with  the  simple  inscription : 

"  To  MY  DEAR  Friend 
JOHN   S.   HUYLEE." 

With  the  beginning  of  his  active  Christian 
life,  his  idea  of  his  stewardship  became 
strong  and  commanding.  How  that  idea 
grew  until  it  dominated  his  life,  may  be  seen 

[59] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


from  the  Eesolutions  which  were  adopted  by 
the  New  York  City  Church  Extension  and 
Missionary  Society.  These  state  that  in 
1891  Mr.  Huyler  paid  fifty  dollars  to  its  cur- 
rent funds.  The  next  year,  to  clear  off  an 
indebtedness,  he  paid  five  hundred  dollars. 
A  few  months  later  he  was  one  of  several  who 
subscribed  five  thousand  dollars  to  the  For- 
ward Movement,  and  he  increased  his  regular 
offering  from  fifty  to  fifteen  hundred  dollars. 
A  few  years  later  he  gave  twenty-five  thou- 
sand dollars  to  make  possible  the  Jefferson 
Park  Italian  church.  When  the  Century 
Thank  Offering  Movement  began,  he  made  a 
gift  of  a  hundred  thousand  dollars.  In  an- 
other place  where  he  cared  for  children  in  a 
Home  which  he  named  after  his  mother,  he 
sustained  a  work  which  cost  him  over  forty 
thousand  dollars  a  year. 

As  God  prospered  him,  he  continued  to  en- 
large the  proportion  of  his  gifts.  He  told  me 
that  in  the  early  days  he  heard  the  preachers 
say  that  a  man  ought  to  give  a  tenth  of  his 
income  to  the  Lord,  and  he  began  that  way. 
After  a  while  it  seemed  to  him  too  small  an 
offering  to  make,  in  the  face  of  God's  abun- 

[60] 


THE  CONVERSION  AND  LIFE  OF  JOHN  S.  HUYLER 

dance,  so  lie  increased  until  it  was  a  fifth,  and 
a  little  later  it  was  a  quarter,  and  after  a 
while  he  was  giving  half  of  his  income.  One 
day,  when  he  was  telling  me  how  he  came 
to  give  proportionately,  a  sweet  smile  crossed 
his  face,  and  he  used  a  phrase  which  was  so 
modest  and  unique  that  I  cannot  forbear  to 
quote  it.  It  was  the  only  thing  I  ever  heard 
him  say  which  had  in  it  the  least  expression 
of  contentment  over  his  gifts.  He  said :  "  I 
really  believe.  Doctor,  if  I  should  die  to- 
morrow, the  Lord  would  say  to  me,  *  Well, 
John,  you  are  a  few  dollars  ahead ! ' "  He 
meant  to  say  that  he  had  kept  religiously 
every  contract  which  he  had  made  with  his 
Lord,  as  the  steward  of  His  gifts. 

There  were  a  few  great  principles  which 
were  born  within  him  when  God  transformed 
his  own  life,  and  which  molded  that  life  to  the 
use  of  men  and  the  glory  of  God. 

First  of  all  was  the  feeling  that  he  must 
himself  be  the  steward  of  the  wealth  that 
God  had  given  him,  and  that  with  that  wealth 
he  must  give  his  own  life  and  service.  Many 
a  man  has  given  his  money,  but  he  gave  him- 
self.    For  years  the  greater  part  of  every 

[61] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


business  day  was  spent  in  listening  to  the 
story  of  the  unfortunate,  the  sinful  and  the 
broken-hearted.  And  it  is  not  too  much  to 
say  that  in  that  work,  as  in  the  case  of  his 
Savior,  "  Virtue  went  out  of  him."  No  man 
can  bear  that  strain  and  not  suffer  physically, 
as  well  as  mentally ;  and  in  some  sense  he  was 
a  vicarious  sacrifice  to  the  love  he  bore  to 
men. 

When  he  desired  to  know  how  best  he  could 
follow  in  the  footsteps  of  the  Master,  he  read 
his  Bible.  It  was  of  no  use  to  tell  him  that 
God  did  not  care  for  humble  folk  for  he  read 
in  the  blessed  Book  how,  when  Jesus  set  up 
His  "  Temple  of  Fame,"  He  put  on  its  chief 
pedestal  a  poor  widow  with  two  mites  in  her 
hand.  It  was  of  no  use  to  tell  him  that  God 
did  not  care  for  the  footsore  and  the  weary, 
for  he  had  seen  Jesus  with  a  towel  around 
His  loins,  washing  His  disciples'  feet.  It  was 
of  no  use  to  tell  him  that  God  did  not  care  for 
the  prodigal  and  for  the  wayward,  for  he 
read  how  Jesus  painted  the  picture  of  a 
bad  boy  coming  home,  his  father  waiting  for 
him  and  refusing  to  begin  the  feast  until  the 

[62] 


THE  CONVERSION  AND  LIFE  OF  JOHN  S.  HUYLER 

prodigal  was  clad  once  more  as  his  father's 
son,  and  seated  at  the  head  of  the  table. 

Second;  because  of  this  personal  element, 
he  loved  the  Church  of  Christ  and  felt  that 
its  influence  was  the  one  saving  thing  in  a 
weak  world,  and  it  was  the  pastoral  side  of 
the  ministry  of  the  Church  which  most  deep- 
ly imprest  him.  No  layman  was  ever  kinder 
to  his  pastor;  no  one  ever  more  helpful  by 
kindly  suggestion  and  personal  solicitude. 

To  see  the  children  giving  their  hearts  to 
God;  to  see  families  coming  together  to  the 
House  of  the  Lord,  made  his  heart  glad.  And 
it  was  an  unspeakable  comfort  to  him  to 
feel  that  every  member  of  his  own  family  was 
a  member  of  the  Church. 

Third ;  tho  he  himself  had  not  had  the  ad- 
vantages of  a  liberal  education,  he  was  a 
great  friend  of  all  educational  institutions. 
He  was  especially  interested  in  those  who 
were  seeking,  in  the  formative  period  of  their 
lives,  to  lead  our  cultivated  youth  to  the 
joys  of  Christ.  Many  of  our  Seminaries  re- 
ceived large  gifts  from  him,  and  they  will 
sorely  miss  him  now  that  he  is  gone.  He  not 
only  gave  his  money,  but  he  visited  the  in- 

5  [63] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


stitutions,  and  was  full  of  helpful  suggestion 
for  the  carrying  forward  of  their  work. 
Years  ago  he  heard  a  sermon  on  "  Higher 
Education,"  which  profoundly  imprest  him, 
and  aroused  a  new  interest  in  educational 
matters  of  the  highest  grade.  He  sent  two 
of  his  own  sons  to  college,  and  another  is 
now  fitting.  Many  thousands  of  dollars  were 
given  by  him  annually  for  higher  educational 
work. 

Fourth ;  among  spiritualizing  influences,  he 
gave  the  chief  place  to  the  Word  of  God.  Of 
late  years  he  had  grown  increasingly  fond  of 
the  Bible.  To  him  it  was  the  Book  of  books. 
He  often  said  to  me  that  he  would  like  to  have 
a  Sunday-night  service  every  now  and  then, 
when  there  should  be  nothing  done  except 
reading  selections  out  of  the  Good  Book 
without  note  or  comment.  It  seemed  to  him 
that  God  had  supplied  all  wisdom  and  direc- 
tion in  His  Book,  and  that  human  words  were 
needless  where  God  had  spoken.  He  never 
packed  his  traveling  bag  that  he  did  not  put 
in  the  blest  Book,  and  no  night  passed,  in 
car  or  hotel,  where  the  Bible  was  not  pro- 
duced and  some  passages  read,  as  a  pillow 

[64] 


THE  CONVERSION  AND  LIFE  OF  JOHN  S.  HUYLER 

on  whicli,  one  might  rest  his  head  in  peace 
as  he  conunitted  himself  to  slumber.  Very 
frequently,  in  his  own  home,  when  sleep  re- 
fused to  come  to  his  eyes,  he  would  take  the 
blest  Book  and  read  far  on  into  the  night, 
often  quieting  his  spirit  and  falling  to  sleep 
with  the  Book  lying  upon  his  breast. 

Fifth;  it  was  comparatively  recently  that 
his  thought  went  out  to  the  great  Foreign 
Mission  Field.  It  is  to  him  that  we  owe  the 
beginning  of  Methodist  Missions  in  France, 
and  to  write  the  story  of  his  helpfulness  in 
Italy,  Africa,  and  in  the  Far  East,  would  be 
to  write  a  chapter  which  might,  of  itself,  well 
be  the  epitome  of  the  gifts  and  interests  of 
a  great  life. 

In  tliis  description  of  the  beautiful  charac- 
ter of  John  Huyler,  as  it  flowed  out  of  that 
great  central  experience  in  his  life,  trans- 
forming all  his  soul,  I  am  aware  that  I  have 
drawn  but  a  partial  picture  of  the  man.  With 
all  his  devotion  to  God  and  every  holy  thing, 
he  was  yet  a  man  among  men.  No  one  ever 
had  a  friend  more  alert,  more  interested  in 
everything,  or  with  a  deeper  sense  of  fun  and 
humor.    His  bright  eyes  flashed,  and  he  was 

[65] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


easily  the  center  of  any  group  where  he  hap- 
pened to  be.  He  showed  in  his  life  that  deep 
piety  and  every  human  interest  could  go 
hand  in  hand.  His  religion  was  the  happiest 
and  merriest  thing  in  life.  He  was  brother 
to  all  men :  at  the  same  time  one  of  the  most 
human  and  one  of  the  most  religious  I  have 
ever  known.  To  such  a  man  there  could  come 
no  harm,  living  or  dying.  As  he  neared  the 
end  of  his  life,  he  said :  "  I  should  like  to  live. 
But  it  will  be  all  right  in  any  case.  The 
Lord's  will  be  done."  When  his  wife  sug- 
gested to  him  that  the  Lord  might  have  some 
work  for  him  in  the  future  life,  he  said,  with 
a  smile,  "  I  shall  be  glad  to  undertake  it." 

I  should  like  to  have  seen  John  Huyler 
when  he  met  his  blessed  Lord  in  Heaven.  I 
should  like  to  have  seen  his  wide-eyed  won- 
der when  Jesus  said :  "  Come  ye  blessed  of 
my  Father.  I  was  an  hungered  and  ye  gave 
me  meat.  I  was  thirsty  and  ye  gave  me 
drink.  I  was  a  stranger  and  ye  took  me  in ; 
naked  and  ye  clothed  me;  I  was  sick  and  ye 
visited  me."  I  should  like  to  have  heard  him 
doubtfully  questioning:  "When  saw  I  Thee 
sick  and  in  prison  and  came  unto  Thee?" 

[66] 


THE  CONVERSION  AND  LIFE  OF  JOHN  S.  HUYLER 

And  it  would  have  been  blessed  to  see  his 
face  as  the  Savior  said :  "  Inasmuch  as  ye 
did  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these,  ye  did 
it  unto  me." 

It  is  lonely  since  he  went  away,  and  the 
days  drag  on  with  added  sense  of  loss.  It 
is  true  that  he  has 

"Fallen  like  some  giant  cedar, 
And  left  a  vacant  place  against  the  sky." 

In  spite  of  all  his  attainments,  his  intellectual 
ability,  and  his  high  position,  I  think  he 
would  be  quite  inclined  to  adopt  for  himself 
the  words  of  Sam  Walter  Foss,  and  say: 

"Let  me  live  in  my  house  by  the  side  of  the  road, 
Where  the  race  of  men  go  by. 
They  are  good,  they  are  bad,  they  are  foolish  and 
weak, 
And  so  indeed  was  I. 
Then  why  should  I  sit  in  the  scomer's  seat,  or  wield 

the  cynic's  pen? 
Let  me  live  in  my  house  by  the  side  of  the  road, 
And  be  a  friend  of  men." 

From  the  standpoint  of  his  fellow-workers 
this  man's  great  value  to  the  world  lay  in 

[67] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE   GLEAM 


this,  that  while  he  gave  much  he  asked  little 
or  nothing  in  return.  Some  there  are  who 
give  much  and  require  much.  Their  opinions 
must  be  acted  upon  and  their  suggestions 
considered  as  imperative.  It  was  not  so 
with  him.  No  man  ever  had  more  plans  and 
suggestions  than  he.  He  thought  enough 
about  good  things  to  have  well-formed  opin- 
ions, but  while  he  had  opinions  he  was  not 
opinionated.  To  his  pastor  he  would  say, 
"  I  am  full  of  plans ;  some  are  good  and  some 
are  bad ;  some  may  work  and  some  may  not. 
I  will  tell  you  fully  all  that  is  in  my  heart, 
you  can  think  them  over.  If  you  turn  down 
any  of  them  or  all  of  them  it  will  not  abate 
a  jot  of  my  interest  in  His  work  or  my  con- 
fidence in  you."  His  action  throughout  the 
years  proved  that  he  meant  exactly  what  he 
had  said.  It  would  be  a  heartening  thing 
for  pastors  and  workers  if  all  men  of  wealth 
and  power  were  so  considerate  and  unselfish 
as  he. 

He  was  so  tender,  and  at  the  same  time  so 
strong  and  true  that  he  evermore  stands 
before  us  as  the  lineal  descendant  of  Mr. 
Valiant-f  or- Truth. 

[68] 


THE  CONVERSION  AND  LIFE  OF  JOHN  S.  HUYLER 

In  his  great  allegory  Bunyan  tells  us  how 
Mr.  Valiant-f or-Truth  went  home.  Said  he : 
"  I  am  going  to  my  Father :  and  tho  with 
great  difficulty  I  am  got  hither,  yet  noiv  I  do 
not  repent  me  of  all  the  trouble  I  have  been 
at  to  arrive  where  I  am.  My  sword  I  give 
to  him  that  shall  succeed  me  in  my  pilgrim- 
age, and  my  courage  and  skill  to  him  that  can 
get  it.  My  marks  and  scars  I  carry  with  me 
to  be  a  witness  for  me  that  I  have  fought  His 
battles  who  will  now  be  my  rewarder."  When 
the  day  that  he  must  go  hence  was  come, 
many  accompanied  him  to  the  riverside,  into 
which,  as  he  went,  he  said,  "  Death,  where  is 
thy  sting?  "  And  as  he  went  down  deeper,  he 
said,  "Grave,  where  is  thy  victory?"  So 
he  passed  over,  and  all  the  trumpets  sounded 
for  him  on  the  other  side. 

Hail  and  farewell,  my  brother !  When  the 
trumpets  sound  for  you  on  the  other  side 
may  they  be  blown  by  lips  which  you  have 
taught  to  pray,  and  may  I  be  there  to  hear! 


[69] 


Ill 


A  KING'S  DAUGHTER  AND  HER 
SONS  AND  DAUGHTERS- 
MARGARET  BOTTOMS 


We  may  learn  to  walk  by  faith  more  steadily  by  perceiv- 
ing that  in  this  universe  in  which  we  live  only  he  who  is 
willing  to  walk  by  faith  can  walk  at  all. 

Prof,  William  North  Rice. 

"Talk  faith.     The  world  is  better  off  without 
Your  uttered  ignorance  and  morbid  doubt. 
If  you  have  faith  in  God  or  man  or  self 
Say  so;  if  not,  push  back  upon  the  shelf 
Of  silence  lower  thoughts  till  faith  shall  come. 

"  Though  time  may  dig  his  grave  of  curds 
And  dogmas  wither  in  the  sod, 
My  soul  will  keep  the  thought  it  words — 
Its  swerveless  faith  in  God." 

But  still  I  feel  that  His  embrace, 

Slides  down  by  thrills  through  all  things  made. 
Through  sight  and  sound  of  any  place. 

As  if  my  tender  mother  laid 
On  my  shut  lips  her  kisses,  pressure 

Half  waking  me  at  night,  and  said; 
Who  kissed  you  through  the  dark,  dear  guesser? 

Mrs.  Browning. 


MRS.   MARGARET   BOTTOME 


Ill 


A  KING^S  DAUGHTER  AND  HER 
SONS   AND   DAUGHTERS- 
MARGARET   BOTTOME 

I  HAVE  had  much  to  say  during  the  years 
of  my  ministry  on  the  matter  of  home  re- 
ligion. The  great  discovery  of  the  fifteenth 
century  was  printing.  The  great  discovery 
of  the  eighteenth  century  was  the  appli- 
cation of  steam.  The  great  discovery  of 
the  nineteenth  century  was  the  application 
of  electricity.  We  are  told  that  the  great 
discovery  of  the  last  generation  was  the  dis- 
covery of  childhood.  I  wish  that  this  gen- 
eration might  be  the  discoverer  of  the  home. 
As  I  have  elsewhere  said,  the  greatest  influ- 
ence in  the  life  of  a  child  is  not  the  school,  or 
even  the  Church :  it  is  the  home.  The  kind  of 
religion  that  we  need  to-day  is  not  so  much 
a  doctrinal  religion,  or  a  formal  social  or 
ethical  religion ;  it  is  a  home  religion,  applied 
and  illustrated  by  those  who  love  and  serve 

[73] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


in  the  tenderest  and  dearest  relations  of 
earth.  Anything  that  looks  like  religious 
instruction  is  banished  from  our  Public 
Schools,  and  the  religious  instruction  of  the 
Sunday-school  is  so  limited  and  so  partial, 
and — as  we  who  are  trying  to  do  our  best 
there,  must  sorrowfully  admit — often  put 
into  the  hands  of  religious  bunglers,  to  say 
nothing  of  those  who  are  unfit,  either  by  char- 
acter or  training,  to  do  the  work.  If  we  have 
any  adequate  training  of  our  children,  it 
must  be  the  training  of  home.  It  has  pained 
my  heart  to  realize  that  when  the  Church 
had  done  her  best  in  the  few  hours  in  the 
week  that  she  could  come  in  touch  with  her 
children,  they  must  then  be  turned  over  to 
the  influence  of  a  degenerate  home,  where 
every  action  nullifies  the  teaching  of  the 
Church,  and  all  its  tempers  and  purposes 
work  out  the  ruin  of  any  high  and  noble 
character.  The  seeds  of  grace,  like  the  seeds 
of  the  garden,  must  be  sown  in  the  Spring. 

In  his  lecture  on  "  The  Religious  Conquest 
of  the  Child's  Mind,"  President  G.  Stanley 
Hall  says :  "  Childhood  is  the  very  best  pe- 
riod of  human  life.    Then  all  faculties  are  at 

[74] 


A  KING'S  DAUGHTER 


their  best.  It  is  the  Paradise  from  which 
growth  is  always  more  or  less  of  a  fall.  In 
all  its  activities,  physiological  and  physical, 
a  child  is  nearer  the  type  of  the  species  and 
has  less  of  the  limitations  of  the  individual. 
The  doors  of  the  prison  house  have  closed 
upon  him  far  less  tightly  than  they  have 
upon  us.  You  will  remember  how  Words- 
worth puts  the  same  thought,  and  Words- 
worth is  the  master-interpreter  of  childhood : 

''Hence  in  a  season  of  calm  weather, 
Though  inland  far  we  be, 
Our  souls  have  sight  of  that  immortal  sea 
Which  brought  us  hither, 
Can  in  a  moment  travel  thither. 
And  see  the  children  sport  upon  the  shore. 
And  hear  the  mighty  waters  rolHng  evermore." 

The  home  is  the  guardian  of  childhood. 
Every  student  of  psychology  and  pedagogy 
understands  the  marvelous  richness  and  pos- 
sibilities of  those  early  years.  If  parents 
only  knew,  and  would  consider !  Now  is  the 
time  when  life  takes  on  whatever  form  you 
will  for  it.  Now  is  the  time  when  you  can 
mold  and  fashion  it  in  such  a  way  as  to  bless 

[75] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


it  and  the  world.  Now  is  the  time  to  make 
a  strong  constitution;  a  pair  of  lungs  that 
will  help  to  make  pure  blood ;  a  stomach  that 
will  nourish  a  great  brain,  and  a  great  heart ; 
a  heart  that  will  bear  the  strain  of  the  dusty 
valley  or  the  mountain  climb,  and  not  break 
down  in  middle  life  to  leave  its  owner  a  wreck 
on  the  shore,  or  a  Hercules  in  a  rotten  boat. 
Now  is  the  time  to  form  habits — those  gos- 
samer threads  which  will  one  day  harden  to 
steel.  Now  is  the  time  when  devotion  can  be 
nourished,  when  holy  things  can  be  set  in  the 
sky  of  a  child,  like  stars  which  go  not  out 
forever. 

When  they  asked  Napoleon  what  was  the 
great  need  of  France,  he  said,  "  Mothers." 
If  you  ask  me  what  is  the  great  need  of 
America,  I  answer,  "  Homes."  A  home  im- 
plies a  loving  mother  and  a  faithful  father. 
It  implies  a  tender  solicitude  and  yearning 
which  will  follow  with  infinite  patience  the 
footsteps  of  the  child,  and  will  not  be  satis- 
fied until  they  are  turned  into  the  paths  of 
peace.  You  may  board  and  clothe  your  chil- 
dren ;  you  may  give  them  a  place  to  sleep  and 
a  place  to  come  in  out  of  the  storm,  but  you 

[76] 


A  KING'S  DAUGHTER 


have  not  given  them  a  Jwme  until  you  have 
surrounded  them  with  such  blessings  as  will 
bring  to  birth  all  the  graces  of  a  spiritual 
life.  I  make  my  plea  for  Christian  homes 
where  a  family  altar  is  set  up  and  the  day  is 
bounded  on  the  East  by  supplication,  and  on 
the  West  by  thanksgiving  to  God.  We  must 
give  more  time  to  our  children.  They  will 
soon  be  gone  from  us.  Strange,  as  says 
Socrates,  that  we  spend  so  much  time  to 
gather  property  and  so  little  time  on  those 
to  whom  we  shall  leave  it.  While  the  clay 
is  plastic  we  must  mold  it. 

That  is  a  beautiful  story  which  ex-Presi- 
dent Roosevelt  tells  of  his  own  father's  home, 
and  how  he  gave  himself  to  his  children,  with 
such  splendid  success.  Here  in  our  city  to- 
day, is  a  man,  well  born,  and  who  in  his  early 
manhood  came  into  a  large  business  inherit- 
ance. There  seemed  to  open  up  to  him  a 
great  field  of  opportunity,  but  he  was  the 
father  of  four  sons.  If  he  went  into  his  busi- 
ness ventures,  he  might  gain  a  great  for- 
tune, but  it  would  require  his  frequent  ab- 
sence from  home,  and  would  engross  his  time 
and  strength  to  their  fullest  capacity.  He 
[77] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE   GLEAM 


debated  in  his  own  mind  whether  he  wonld 
give  himself  to  the  amassing  of  a  fortune,  so 
that  each  one  of  his  sons  might  have  enough 
to  start  well  in  the  race  of  life;  or  whether 
he  would  give  himself  to  the  personal  care 
and  training  of  his  sons,  doing  the  best  he 
could  to  form  good  habits  intellectually, 
morally  and  religiously.  He  decided  to  take 
the  second  course.  He  retired  from  business 
and  in  all  their  studies  and  sports,  he  was  the 
companion  of  his  boys.  He  watched  them  at 
every  point,  that  they  might  develop  a  true 
and  noble  character.  He  has  lived  to  see 
them  universally  respected  in  the  city.  They 
have  gained  fortunes,  quite  as  large  as  any 
he  would  probably  have  won  for  them,  and 
they  gained  them  by  virtue  of  their  own  abil- 
ity and  character.  He  will  insist  that  he 
made  a  wise  choice,  when  he  decided  that  to 
develop  a  noble  character  was  a  wiser  thing 
than  to  give  a  fortune  to  a  child  whose  char- 
acter had  been  neglected. 

All  that  I  have  said  thus  far  may  pass  as 
a  twice-told  tale,  a  homily  trite  and  common- 
place. But  I  have  a  story  to  tell  which  I  wish 
might  be  heard  and  heeded  m  every  home  in 

[78] 


A  KING'S  DAUGHTER 


America.  My  story  is  most  impressive  to 
myself,  because  most  of  those  whom  I  shall 
name  were  my  personal  friends,  and  some  of 
them  my  parishioners.  We  have  discust  to- 
gether the  deep  things  of  the  kingdom,  and 
I  know  the  spirit  which  has  animated  their 
hearts,  and  I  am  bound  to  say  that  there  have 
been  few  families  in  all  my  experience,  in 
which  the  things  of  God  were  so  vital,  and 
devotion  to  the  noblest  things  in  life  so  truly 
without  struggle  or  affectation.  I  question 
if  there  has  come  from  any  home  in  Amer- 
ica influences  which  have  so  shaped  the  wom- 
anhood of  the  nation,  as  the  influences  which 
came  from  this  home,  and  in  the  field  of  busi- 
ness activity,  achievements  have  been  made 
which  satisfy  all  human  needs  and  which 
leave  a  record  which  any  might  envy,  and  all 
this  flowed  in  large  measure  from  the  life  of 
one  well-balanced,  clear-headed,  pure-hearted 
Christian  mother. 

The  home  that  I  shall  describe  was  a  hum- 
ble Scotch  home,  the  home  of  the  McDonalds. 
On  a  cold,  bleak  night  in  February,  1852,  in 
Brooklyn,   New  York,   a  widow  folded  the 

6  [79] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


hands  of  her  dead  husband  and  knelt  to  pray. 
Seven  children  knelt  with  her,  their  ages  run- 
ning from  three  to  fourteen  years.  When  the 
widow  rose  from  her  knees,  her  face  seemed 
transfigured.  She  had  little  money,  but  she 
had  love,  and  she  had  courage,  and  she  had 
faith ;  and  with  seven  children  clinging  to  her 
skirts,  she  turned  to  face  the  world.  Dr. 
Daniel  Curry  was  her  pastor.  He  comforted 
her  heart  as  best  he  might,  with  those  conso- 
lations which  are  eternal,  and  she  took  up  her 
lot  without  complaint.  The  funeral  was  held 
on  Saturday;  and  Sunday  morning,  before 
breakfast,  as  was  her  wont,  she  gathered  her 
children  about  her,  read  a  chapter  out  of  the 
Good  Book,  and  led  in  prayer.  When  the 
hour  for  service  came  that  morning,  instead 
of  spending  it  in  agonizing  grief  at  home, 
she  took  her  seven  children  and  filed  into  her 
accustomed  pew. 

Is  it  not  a  mistaken  custom  which  keeps  us 
from  the  house  of  God  when  we  most  need 
the  help  of  worship  I 

Her  faith  failed  not,  for  in  the  quaint 
translation    of    Martin    Luther,    she    "held 

[80] 


A  KING'S   DAUGHTER 


on  to  Him  whom  she  saw  not,  as  if  she 
saw  Him."  And,  as  her  son  says  of  her, 
"  she  never  let  go."  Her  faith  held  her  until 
she  looked  into  the  face  of  her  Lord  in  the 
New  Jerusalem. 

I  shall  have  much  to  say  about  this  Chris- 
tian mother,  but  I  wish  to  say  here,  that  the 
man  who  had  fallen  on  sleep  was  worthy  of 
her.  While  not  a  man  of  large  means,  he 
was  a  man  who  was  interested  in  many  im- 
portant matters,  an  Alderman  of  the  city  for 
many  years,  and  interested  in  all  civic  mat- 
ters. At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was 
a  candidate  for  the  mayoralty  of  Brooklyn. 
He  married  early  in  life,  his  wife  being 
eighteen  and  he  only  two  years  older.  She  de- 
ferred to  him  in  general  matters,  and  he  de- 
ferred to  her  in  matters  of  the  religious  life. 
As  the  children  came,  these  parents  devoted 
themselves  and  their  household  to  God,  and 
"  built  an  altar  unto  the  Lord,"  where  they 
evermore  worshiped,  they  and  their  children. 
Mr.  McDonald  was  hardly  forty-five  years 
of  age  when  he  died.  He  had  gone  on  a  mis- 
sion of  mercy  for  a  poor  man  who  lay  under 

[81] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


sentence  of  life  imprisonment.  Evidence 
which  was  secured  later,  sent  Mr.  McDon- 
ald to  Albany  to  intercede  for  the  man.  He 
returned,  bearing  the  Governor's  pardon  for 
the  man,  but  had  himself  taken  a  cold  which 
passed  into  pneumonia,  and  the  day  on  which 
the  prisoner  was  liberated,  opened  the  gates 
of  another  world  for  him  who  had  set  the 
prisoner  free.  Special  prayers  were  offered 
for  him  in  many  of  the  churches  of  the  city, 
but  he  saw  his  end  approaching,  and  set  his 
house  in  order.  In  "  The  Old  Arm  Chair," 
his  daughter  gives  a  touching  description  of 
his  last  hours.  "  Mary,"  said  he  to  his  wife, 
"  get  the  children  together  and  let  me  see 
them  alone.  I  have  something  to  say  to  them 
before  I  go."  The  summons  was  quickly  an- 
swered, and  the  family  drew  to  the  bedside 
and  took  the  family  Bible,  for  which  he 
had  asked.  He  opened  to  the  first  Psalm, 
and  with  full,  rich  voice  read  with  great 
unction  the  whole  of  it,  and  then  said: 
"  That  is  true,  my  children.  I  have  proved 
it  in  my  own  life."  Eeturning  again  to  it, 
he  commented  on  each  paragraph,  remarking 

[82] 


A  KING'S  DAUGHTER 


with  great  fervor,  "How  the  Lord  has 
blest  me!  And  it  will  be  so  with  you,  my 
children,  if  you  follow  the  instructions  of  this 
Psalm."  Then,  as  they  each  knelt  by  his  side, 
commencing  with  the  eldest  (Margaret  Bot- 
tome),  he  put  his  hands  on  their  heads  and 
blest  them,  giving  to  each  his  special  bene- 
diction. Then  dismissing  them,  he  wished  to 
be  alone  with  his  Mary,  and  going  over  all 
the  past,  he  again  reminded  her  of  God's 
great  goodness  to  them  and  their  mutual 
benefits  under  His  grace.  The  poor  broken- 
hearted wife,  for  the  first  time  completely 
overcome,  threw  her  sobbing  head  upon  his 
bosom,  exclaiming,  "  Oh,  William,  what  shall 
I  do  when  you  are  gone !  "  "  Mary,"  he 
said,  "  I  give  you  God's  promises,  and  He  will 
keep  them.  And  remember  He  has  said,  ^  I 
will  be  a  father  to  the  fatherless  and  a  hus- 
band to  the  widow.' "  His  priestly  duties 
were  ended.  For  a  few  hours  he  seemed  to  be 
standing  at  the  gate  of  heaven,  pausing  on 
its  very  threshold,  to  pour  out  exclamations 
of  ecstacy,  in  parting  salutations  to  the 
throng  of  dear  friends  who  prest  around  him 
for  the  last  time,  till  the  word  came  from 

[83] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


within,  and  with  a  whisper  of  glory  on  his 
sealing  lips,  he  passed  away. 

From  that  hour  she  was  a  changed  woman. 
Not  that  a  revolution  had  taken  place,  but 
the  hour  had  wrought  sudden  development 
and  decided  manifestation  of  a  strength  of 
character  which  few  would  have  credited  her 
with,  if  they  had  not  seen  her  as  she  came 
from  her  Gethsemane  to  bear  the  heaviest 
cross  of  human  experience,  the  days  of  wid- 
owhood. It  was  then  that  the  decided  pos- 
itiveness  of  mind,  which  was  really  the  un- 
derlying element  of  her  character,  exhibited 
itself,  and  rose  to  support  her  under  the  cir- 
cumstances which  bereavement  had  thrown 
around  her. 

Among  the  sweetest  memories  of  life  to 
those  devoted  children  are  the  recollections 
of  the  dear  old  home.  Theirs  was  a  happy 
home.  When  they  gathered  about  the  piano, 
singing  the  sacred  songs  of  the  Church,  the 
mother  was  the  most  pleased  and  satisfied  ob- 
ject of  the  group,  and  the  special  admiration 
of  her  children.  As  the  evening  advanced, 
the  old  family  Bible  was  placed  in  the  hands 
of  one  of  the  number  and  family  prayer  in- 

[84] 


A  KING'S  DAUGHTER 


dicated  the  rule  of  tlie  household,  an  early 
retirement.  And  so  her  children  grew 
around  her,  held  by  her  without  knowing  it, 
and  keeping  close  to  her  side  because  they 
loved  her  better  than  anything  else.  They 
had  no  disposition  for  amusements  or  fellow- 
ships which  were  questionable.  They  had 
better  at  home.  She  held  a  firm  hand  in  her 
government,  but  it  was  a  soft  hand.  Strong 
and  dominant  though  she  was,  there  was  no 
spirit  of  contradiction  in  her,  and  no  one 
ever  heard  her  speak  ill  of  another,  or  even 
uncharitably.  As  her  children  passed  to 
homes  of  their  own,  this  woman  of  sorrowful 
heart  lived  not  only  in  her  own  children,  but 
in  their  husbands,  their  wives,  and  their  chil- 
dren. And  she  reaped  what  she  had  sowed, 
the  universal  love  of  her  children  and  her 
children's  children,  and  of  anyone  who  came 
by  any  means  within  her  circle  of  unselfish 
relationships. 

She  had  a  playful  humor  in  her  early  days, 
and  when  her  years  multiplied,  and  she  be- 
gan to  feel  that  it  was  almost  time  for  her 
to  go  home,  she  was  so  happy  at  the  thought 
that  she  made  merry  with  those  who  came 

[85] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE  GLEAM 


to  see  her,  and  crowded  such  an  element  of 
gladness  into  her  sick-room  that  it  was  more 
like  a  bridal  chamber  than  a  place  of  death. 
Shortly  before  she  passed  over,  she  said :  "  I 
must  give  something  to  each  one  of  the  chil- 
dren." One  of  them  said,  "I  wish  I  could 
choose  mine."  And  when  she  asked  what  it 
would  be,  the  daughter  replied,  "  Oh,  Mother, 
if  you  could  leave  me  your  patience ! " 
"  Ah,"  said  she,  "  I  cannot  do  that.  You  will 
have  to  learn  patience,  as  I  did!"  Wlien 
Dr.  Buckley,  visiting  her,  said,  alluding  to 
God's  legacy  to  the  righteous,  "Your  chil- 
dren's children  will  be  blest."  "Ah,"  said 
she,  "  it's  further  than  that.  It's  not  only  to 
the  third  and  fourth  generation,  I  have  great- 
grandchildren on  the  sea." 

Her  passing  over  was  unspeakably  sweet, 
and  it  warms  one's  heart  like  a  breath  from 
heaven.  "Your  head  is  clear.  Grandma," 
said  a  friend.  "  Yes,"  said  she,  "  but  that's 
nothing.  It's  the  heart  you  want  clear;  a 
clean  heart  and  clean  hands."  When  some- 
one remarked  how  very  feeble  she  was,  she 
quickly  responded: 

[86] 


A  KING'S  DAUGHTER 


"In  age  and  feebleness  extreme 
Who  shall  a  helpless  worm  redeem? 
Jesus,  my  only  hope  Thou  art, 
Strength  of  my  failing  flesh  and  heart, 
Oh,  could  I  catch  a  smile  from  Thee, 
And  drop  into  eternity." 

To  another  who  remarked  how  rapidly  she 
was  sinking,  she  said :  ^'  I  am  romiding  the 
cape,  soon  to  drop  anchor;  and  when  I  do,  it 
will  be  home !  "  And  so,  surrounded  by  those 
who  loved  her,  whose  lives  she  had  helped  to 
make  beautiful  and  useful  in  the  world,  she 
closed  her  eyes  to  the  scenes  of  earth  and 
passed,  with  a  smile  upon  her  face,  over  the 
stormless  sea,  into  the  ageless  land.  The  city 
was  moved  at  her  going  out.  Many  of  the 
leaders  of  the  Church  came  to  bring  their 
personal  tribute  to  her  splendid  character. 
There  were  scores  besides  her  children  who 
could  have  taken  the  stand  of  the  mourners 
by  the  side  of  Dorcas,  who  showed  in  their 
own  characters,  the  beauty  of  the  garments 
which  she  had  helped  to  weave.  It  is  be- 
cause she  was  the  fountain-head  of  such 
streams  of  blessedness  for  the  Church  and 

[87] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


the  community,  that  I  have  written  at  such 
length  concerning  her  life  and  work. 

Now  let  me  call  your  attention  to  the  chil- 
dren which  came  forth  from  such  a  home. 
There  were  eighteen  of  them — only  one  less 
than  came  from  the  home  of  Susanna  Wesley. 
The  eldest  was  Margaret,  Margaret  Bot- 
tome !  At  the  time  of  her  father's  death,  she 
had  just  married  the  Eev.  Frank  Bottome. 
The  influence  of  the  home  had  culminated  in 
the  conversion  of  Margaret  at  the  altar  of 
Sand  Street  Church,  when  she  was  a  girl  of 
twelve.  She  began  an  active  Christian  life 
at  once,  and  gave  herself,  as  a  girl,  without 
stint,  to  Christian  work.  At  twenty-one 
years  of  age  she  became  the  wife  of  an  itin- 
erant Methodist  preacher. 

Is  there  any  woman  since  the  days  of  Su- 
sanna Wesley  and  Hester  Ann  Eogers  and 
Lady  Huntington,  who  has  done  more  to  de- 
velop the  spiritual  life  and  character  of  the 
womanhood  of  the  world?  Or  did  even  these 
great  names  accomplish  as  much  by  personal 
touch,  by  voice  or  pen,  or  personal  power  at 
first  hand,  as  did  she?  For  nearly  thirty 
years   the   wife   of   an  itinerant   Methodist 

[88] 


A  KING'S   DAUGHTER 


preacher,  giving  herself  to  that  work  as  a 
helpmeet  for  her  husband,  inspiring  him  by 
her  splendid  devotion,  making  the  parsonage 
a  holy  place  and  at  the  same  time  a  happy 
place,  with  infinite  vivacity  and  humor, 
smoothing  out  the  rough  places  in  life,  and 
showing  religion  to  be  not  a  thing  for  the 
ascetic,  but  something  for  the  happy  heart 
and  busy  life,  a  thing  for  boys  and  girls,  for 
young  men  and  young  women,  the  most  nat- 
ural thing  in  the  world.  Her  own  son  con- 
verted in  youth  is  now  an  Episcopalian  rec- 
tor. After  almost  a  generation  spent  in  that 
work,  God  led  her  out  to  still  greater  fields 
of  privilege  and  toil.  She  became  the  found- 
er of  The  King's  Daughters.  AYhat  a  power 
that  organization  has  been;  and  she  was  the 
heart  and  inspiration  of  it.  She  had  the  en- 
tree of  the  best  homes  of  our  great  cities, 
and  there  she  gathered  about  her  not  only 
those  who  were  known  as  interested  in  Chris- 
tian work,  but  she  gathered  the  petted  daugh- 
ters of  fortune  and  talked  to  them  until  they 
grew  ashamed  of  a  selfish  life,  until  the  no- 
blest thing  on  earth  seemed  to  them  to  be  the 
discipleship  of  Christ.    In  hundreds  of  cases 

[89] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


where  they  were  never  known  outside  as 
Christian  workers,  it  marked  a  new  era  of 
consecration,  so  that  the  women  of  wealth 
took  np  work  for  the  unfortnnate,  and  they 
dedicated  millions  of  dollars  and  hundreds, 
probably  thousands  of  lives  to  the  blessing 
of  the  world.  God  had  touched  her  lips  as 
with  a  coal  from  off  his  altar  and  she  had  a 
prophetic  message.  What  a  speaker  she  was, 
and  how  contagious  was  her  enthusiasm! 
And  then  he  touched  her  pen.  In  the  column 
of  the  "  Ladies^  Home  Journal  "  she  gave  her 
"  Heart  to  Heart  Talks  "  to  millions  of  read- 
ers throughout  the  world.  In  many  other 
publications,  as  well  as  in  the  literature  of 
the  King's  Daughters,  she  gave  her  thrilling 
message  to  the  souls  of  men.  Her  work  is 
so  well  known,  and  is  so  vital  in  the  lives  of 
the  present  generation  that  we  need  not  dwell 
especially  upon  it.  Enough  to  say  that  she 
gave  a  new  significance  to  the  words,  "  Saved 
for  service."  She  showed  the  world  that  it 
was  the  disciple's  business  to  be  as  his  Lord. 
She  proved  that  the  inspiration  of  every 
noble  endeavor  was  to  be  found  in  Christ 
Himself,  and  so  she  sent  out  the  motto :  "  In 

[90] 


A  KING'S  DAUGHTER 


His  Name,"  as  the  talisman  of  victory.  The 
little  cross  with  its  "  I.  H.  N."  has  gone  into 
hospitals  and  prisons,  into  hovels,  and  into 
palaces,  into  Africa  and  India  and  China  and 
Europe,  into  every  civilized  and  every  mis- 
sionary State  on  earth,  carrying  unconscious- 
ly additional  seed  to  sow  for  the  harvest 
which  will  yet  come  forth  from  a  consecrated 
mother's  life. 

But  Mrs.  Bottome,  glorious  as  was  her  life, 
was  only  one  of  that  consecrated  household. 
There  was  another,  the  wife  of  Dr.  Peame, 
a  Methodist  minister  of  wide  reputation  in 
Ohio,  who  by  her  devotion  and  interest  in 
Christian  work,  was  a  fit  sister  of  Mrs.  Bot- 
tome. She  too,  gave  her  heart  to  God  as  a 
little  child.  Her  twin  sister,  Mrs.  Moore,  the 
embodiment  of  the  combined  strength  and 
tenderness  of  father  and  mother,  the  head 
of  a  beautiful  Christian  home,  also  came  to 
God  as  a  little  child.  Her  seven  children  all 
united  with  the  church  at  a  very  early  age. 
Two  of  them  are  preachers,  all  successful. 
Mrs.  Tate,  for  many  years  one  of  our  most 
faithful  workers  in  the  Methodism  of  Brook- 
lyn, is  another  sister,  who  shows  the  charac- 

[91] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


"And  if  our  fellowship  below 
In  Jesus  be  so  sweet, 
What  heights  of  rapture  shall  we  know 
When  round  His  throne  we  meet!" 

So  the  children  of  this  noble  father  and 
mother  all  came  into  the  fellowship  of  the 
Church  of  Christ  and  into  vital  connection 
with  the  things  of  the  kingdom.  But  I  am  not 
quite  through  with  the  story  of  this  family. 
What  has  been  true  of  two  generations  still 
follows  on.  The  children  of  those  children 
have  also  given  their  hearts  to  God  in  their 
youth,  and  are  taking  up  the  burdens  in  their 
manhood  and  womanhood,  which  their  par- 
ents and  grandparents  bore  so  nobly.  Nor 
is  this  all.  Their  children  have  given  them- 
selves to  God,  nearly  every  one  before  they 
were  ten  years  of  age,  and  are  enrolled  in  the 
fellowship  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  So  here 
is  the  story  of  four  generations  that  signally 
fulfil  the  promises  of  God. 

The  annals  of  criminology  show  us  fam- 
ilies that  have  filled  our  prisons  from  one 
generation  to  another.  For  five  generations 
the  Jukes  family  in  England,  out  of  709  de- 

[94] 


A  KING'S  DAUGHTER 


scendants  sent  seventy-six  to  prison  for  one 
crime  or  another.  If  vice  is  hereditary  let 
us  thank  God  that  virtue  also  perpetuates  it- 
self. And  let  every  father  and  mother  be 
tremendously  imprest  by  the  fact  that  un- 
born generations  are  to  come  into  the  world 
blest  or  curst  by  their  example  and  ten- 
dency. Our  scientific  studies  are  making 
more  and  more  certain  and  overwhelming  the 
part  which  heredity  plays  in  the  program  of 
the  individual  and  the  world.  While  there 
are  doubtless  those  who  would  so  far  overes- 
timate its  power  as  to  make  any  struggle 
against  it  seem  useless,  we  cannot  go  astray 
if  we  insist  on  having  every  child  so  well 
born  that  he  may  be  at  least  capable  of  a 
new  birth.  There  will  be  few  skeptics  and 
no  atheists  in  such  a  home  as  I  have  de- 
scribed. Faith  in  God  and  in  all  things  good 
will  come  easy  then.  Tho  the  children  may 
sometimes  stray  there  will  always  be  a  tug 
at  the  soul  which  cannot  go  unheeded,  and  I 
have  seen  it  draw  so  strongly  across  the 
continent  of  the  years  that  it  brought  the 
boy  back  to  the  feet  of  his  mother's  God. 
Over  against  the  Jukeses  I  put  the  McDon- 
7  [Q5] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


aids.  Sin  carries  in  its  bosom  the  seed  of  its 
own  undoing,  but  righteousness  hath  God  at 
the  heart  of  it.  In  .the  end  the  McDonalds 
will  win,  and  the  Christian  home  will  pro- 
duce a  Christian  nation  and  a  Christian 
world. 


[96] 


IV 

JIMMIE 


Conversion  is  the  soul's  return  to  God;  wherefore  let 
every  man  journey  by  the  road  which  lies  open  to  him.  Many 
will  come  by  the  Slough  of  Despond  and  the  Wicket  Gate 
and  the  Hill  Difficulty;  but  that  is  not  the  only  road  to 
the  Celestial  City.  Many  will  come  by  ways  worn  by  the 
feet  of  multitudes  and  some  by  a  lonely  way,  pilgrims  of 
whose  progress  no  man  has  yet  written.  But  any  road  is 
the  right  road  that  reaches  the  goal  at  last. 

Prof.  George  Jackson. 

The  stronger  the  form  of  temptation  the  stronger  char- 
acter you  will  be.  The  people  in  this  world  who  are  doing 
the  best  work  for  humanity  are  people  who  have  known  the 
power  of  temptations. 

"The  mark  of  rank  in  nature 
Is  capacity  for  pain, 
And  the  anguish  of  the  singer 

Makes  the  sweetness  of  the  strain." 

Fight  your  fight,  gain  your  victory,  and  wear  your  crown 
of  triumph.  Be  kingly!  Walk  the  earth  a  conqueror! 
Stand  with  those  who  have  overcome. 

Margaret  Bottome. 


IV 

"  JIMMIE  " 

James  Noble  was  well  brought  up,  and  he 
was  by  nature  a  gentleman.  He  was  in  touch 
with  the  best  representatives  of  Methodism 
in  the  days  when  the  old  cockerel  stood  high 
on  the  spire  of  Hanover  Street  Church,  and 
such  men  as  Samuel  Upham  stood  in  the  pul- 
pit, and  such  men  as  E.  E.  Dunn  sat  in  the 
pews  of  that  historic  church.  He  was  one  of 
a  company  of  men  who  gave  a  good  account 
of  themselves  in  the  days  when  Methodism 
went  forward  with  leaps  and  bounds.  There 
was  a  social  life  at  Hanover  Street  which 
challenged  the  attention  of  the  clerks  and 
young  professional  men  of  the  city,  and  E. 
E.  Dunn  had  a  Bible  Class  of  those  splendid 
young  men.  He  trained  them  to  be  pillars 
in  the  Church,  to  accept  the  responsibilities 
which  were  laid  upon  them  in  the  providence 
of  God,  and  to  this  day  Methodism  feels  the 
impulse  which  came  from  that  Sunday-school 

[99] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


class  almost  half  a  century  ago.  Among 
those  splendid  young  men  there  was  no  one 
more  genial  and  companionable,  and  whose 
fellowship  was  more  sought  by  his  associates, 
than  James  Noble.  In  joke  and  repartee,  as 
reader  and  elocutionist,  he  was  among  the 
brightest  and  the  best.  He  was  full  of  sjrm- 
pathy  for  the  unfortunate,  full  of  ambition 
to  do  his  best  socially  and  in  business  life, 
and  altogether  he  was  a  young  man  who 
promised  well  and  had  hosts  of  friends.  But, 
as  is  the  case  with  many  a  strong  character, 
his  very  excellencies  became  his  stumbling- 
block;  his  good  fellowship  led  him  into  com- 
pany that  was  not  always  helpful  to  him. 
Flattery  pleased  him,  and  there  were  not 
wanting  those  who  took  advantage  of  this 
fact  to  lead  him  to  the  excesses  which  were 
at  last  his  undoing.  He  went  rapidly  ahead 
in  his  business,  and  had  plenty  of  money.  He 
was  a  wholesale  fish-dealer,  and  his  name  was 
well  known  on  the  wharves  where  the  fisher- 
men of  the  Cape  brought  the  returns  from 
their  ventures  on  George's  Banks ;  and  on  the 
wharves  which  were  the  Mecca  of  the  mack- 
erel fishermen.    Men  took  advantage  of  his 

[100] 


JIMMIE  »' 


genial  nature  and  his  full  pocket.  He  had 
friends  by  the  hundred  who  were  willing  to 
enjoy  his  good  fellowship  and  his  affluence  no 
matter  at  how  great  cost  ultimately  to  him- 
self. In  after  years  Jimmie  once  said  to  me, 
as  he  threw  back  his  head  and  opened  his 
mouth,  and  a  quizzical  look  came  into  his  eye : 
"  Look  down  my  throat,  Doctor,  and  see  what 
you  discover."  I  complied  with  his  request, 
but  said,  "  I  see  nothing  unusual  or  abnormal, 
Jimmie."  "  Well,"  said  he,  '^  you  didn't  look 
far  enough.  If  you  had  looked  a  little  farther 
and  a  little  more  carefully,  you  could  have 
seen  fourteen  schooners  and  as  many  fishing- 
smacks,  two  pairs  of  horses,  and  half  of  T — 
"Wharf,  and  other  things  too  numerous  to 
mention;  for  they  all  went  down  that  way 
and  I  never  could  get  them  again."  What 
Jimmie  said  was  all  too  true.  He  drank  him- 
self sick,  and  he  drank  himself  poor,  and  he 
almost  drank  himself  friendless.  After  he 
lost  one  fortune,  his  friends  rallied  about  him 
and  steadied  him,  his  old  associates  of  the 
Sunday-school  put  their  arms  about  him  and 
set  him  once  more  upon  his  feet.  After  a 
while  he  rehabilitated  himself.     More  than 

[101] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


one  fishing-vessel  was  named  after  him,  and 
once  more  he  stood  well  in  society.  But  in 
an  evil  hour  the  same  temptations  and  evil 
friends  assailed  him,  and  he  lost  his  fortune 
a  second  time.  For  years  he  drifted  around 
the  wharves,  picking  up  a  little  something  to 
do  now  and  then,  and  subsisting  for  the  most 
part  on  the  friends  of  his  better  days. 

In  moments  when  his  better  self  asserted 
itseK  he  would  turn  to  the  old  friends  of  the 
Church  and  Sunday-school.  First  Church, 
Boston,  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  Hanover 
Street,  and  it  was  here,  on  the  occasion  of  one 
of  his  periodical  returns  to  the  old  friends, 
that  I  met  him.  The  once  dapper  young  man 
had  grown  gross  and  heavy,  but  much  of  his 
old-time  suavity  and  good  manners  remained. 
He  had  an  ingratiating  way,  and  I  found  my- 
self very  much  interested  in  him.  He  liked 
to  sing,  and  the  Friday-night  prayer-meeting, 
as  well  as  the  Sunday-night  service,  found 
him  on  the  back  seat  singing  lustily  when 
he  was  sober  enough  to  do  it.  I  often 
passed  him  as  I  went  into  the  service  and 
spoke  kindly  to  him.  But  for  a  year  or  more 
he  only  smiled  when  I  urged  him  to  give  him- 

[102] 


"  JIMMIE  " 


self  to  a  better  life.  He  had  more  than  once, 
through  the  kindness  of  friends,  taken  the 
"  gold  cure."  One  Sunday  night,  during 
special  revival  services,  I  saw  him  come  into 
the  church,  and  instead  of  sitting  on  the  back 
seat,  as  usual,  he  came  nearly  half  way  up  the 
aisle.  I  saw  from  his  movements  that  he  had 
more  of  a  load  on  than  he  could  well  care  for. 
But  I  was  imprest  that  he  was  not  so  much 
under  the  influence  of  liquor  but  that  he  real- 
ized the  nature  of  the  service  and  the  force 
of  much  that  was  being  said.  As  I  went  on 
with  the  sermon,  I  felt  especially  impelled 
to  speak  of  the  wasting  of  a  life  such  as  his, 
and  the  best  I  knew  how,  I  laid  emphasis  on 
the  necessity  and  possibility  of  an  immediate 
change  through  the  grace  of  God.  He  seemed 
to  listen  attentively,  and  I  hoped  that  some 
impression  had  been  made.  It  was  our  cus- 
tom, after  the  singing  of  the  last  hymn,  to 
pass  to  the  vestry  for  an  after-service,  the 
congregation  passing  down  at  one  end  of  the 
church  and  I  at  the  other  end.  As  I  was  go- 
ing down  the  stairs  to  the  vestry,  I  said  to 
myself,  "  If  Jimmie  goes  down  and  comes  up 
past  the  middle  of  the  room,  I  shall  feel  that 

[103] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


he  is  under  conviction  and  sliall  have  hope 
that  this  may  be  the  night  of  decision  for 
him."  When  I  reached  the  desk  in  the  vestry 
I  began  singing,  and  as  the  audience  came  in 
I  was  surprized  to  see  Jimmie  making  his 
way  to  the  front  as  best  he  could.  At  last 
he  threw  himself  heavily  upon  the  front  seat. 
After  some  testimonies  and  a  brief  exhorta- 
tion, I  asked  those  who  desired  to  begin  a 
new  life  to  come  forward  to  the  altar.  Jim- 
mie was  among  the  first  to  move.  He  fell 
upon  the  altar  railing,  e\ddently  deeply 
moved.  I  did  not  know  how  much  was  the  ef- 
fect of  his  drinking,  and  how  much  the  re- 
sult of  real  spiritual  interest.  At  the  altar 
were  several  others  to  whom  I  wished  to 
speak,  and  I  asked  a  friend  of  Jimmie^s  to 
speak  to  him  and  hold  him  until  after  the 
service  was  over,  so  that  I  could  have  a 
chance  for  a  full  talk  with  him.  When  the 
altar  service  was  over,  I  dismissed  the  con- 
gregation, and  found  Jimmie  seated  on  the 
front  seat.  I  sat  down  beside  him  and  threw 
my  arm  over  his  shoulder.  I  looked  him  in 
the  face  with  much  concern,  and  simply  said : 
"  Jimmie !  "    He  turned  toward  me  and  said : 

[104] 


"  JIMMIE  " 


"  Doctor,  I  meant  it,  every  bit  of  it,  and  I 
have  made  up  my  mind  to  be  a  different  man. 
But,'^  lie  said,  "  before  I  begin  a  Christian 
life,  I  have  got  to  have  just  one  more  drink. 
Now,"  he  said,  "  I  want  to  ask  you  a  question. 
Which  do  you  think  would  be  better ;  for  me 
to  go  down  here  to  the  Kevere  House  where  I 
should  find  a  lot  of  my  old  cronies?  They 
would  ask  me  to  drink  and  I  would  ask  them 
to  drink,  and  it  would  end  by  my  getting  as 
full  as  a  tick  and  being  carted  off  by  my 
friends  to  my  room,  or  being  carted  off  by 
the  police  to  the  lock-up.  Now,  which  do  you 
think  would  be  better,  for  me  to  do  that  or 
for  you  to  slip  out  and  get  me  a  drink? '' 
My  surprize  at  the  proposition  can  be  better 
understood  than  exprest.  As  a  matter  of 
argument,  I  saw  that  Jimmie  had  made  out 
a  strong  case ;  but  an  inspiration  came  to  me, 
and  I  said :  "  Jimmie,  you  don^t  want  any- 
thing to  drink,  you  want  something  to  eat." 
He  started  up  as  if  he  had  a  new  idea  and 
said  rather  thickly :  "  I  guess  you  are  right 
about  that.  Doctor ;  to  tell  the  truth,  I  haven't 
had  anything  to  eat  to-day.  I  got  up  this 
morning  and  took  a  ^  nipper '  before  I  was 

[105] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE   GLEAM 


out  of  my  room.  Then  I  called  a  cab  and 
started  to  see  the  boys  out  at  the  ^  gold  cure/ 
I  took  a  drink  on  the  way  out,  and  another 
after  I  got  there.  When  I  was  coming  back 
I  took  still  another,  and  yet  another  after  I 
got  into  town,  and  I  really  have  not  had  any- 
thing to  eat  to-day."  "Just  what  I  sup- 
posed," I  said.  "  Now  come  with  me  and  you 
shall  have  a  square  meal."  I  called  one  of 
his  friends  and  we  started  out  with  Jimmie, 
one  on  either  side.  When  we  reached  the 
sidewalk  he  said :  "  Wliere  are  you  going  to 
take  me  for  a  square  meal?  "  "  Oh,"  I  said, 
"  I  know  a  nice  clean  place  where  they  keep 
open  late.  We'll  go  there."  He  said,  "Do 
they  have  anything  to  drink?  "  I  said,  "  Noth- 
ing but  tea  and  coffee  and  milk."  "  Well,"  he 
said,  "  you  can't  get  me  to  go  there ;  I  won't 
go ! "  He  pulled  away  from  us  and  started 
in  the  opposite  direction.  It  took  some  time 
to  coax  him  to  go  with  us,  but  at  last,  by  dint 
of  some  argument  and  a  little  physical  con- 
straint, we  got  him  along  to  the  door  of  the 
restaurant  we  were  seeking.  As  we  entered 
the  door  he  pulled  away  from  us  and  went  to 
the  cashier  and  asked  if  they  had  anything 

[106] 


JIMMIE  " 


to  drink.  She  assured  him  they  had  only 
temperance  drinks,  and  he  started  for  the 
door.  But  at  last  we  got  him  to  a  table  and 
ordered  for  him  steak  and  black  coffee.  He 
covered  the  steak  with  pepper  and  salt  and  it 
seemed  to  furnish  an  agreeable  surprise  to 
his  stomach.  After  he  had  finished  his  steak 
and  two  or  three  cups  of  coffee  he  said  he  felt 
fine,  and  seemed  to  be  quite  himself.  After  his 
appetite  had  been  satisfied,  we  went  out,  and 
as  we  reached  the  sidewalk  he  said :  "  Now 
this  has  been  a  good  night  for  me,  and  I  am 
glad  you  came  down  here  with  me.  I  think 
I  will  be  all  right  now.  Good  night !  "  But 
I  said,  "  No,  Jimmie,  if  it  is  all  the  same  to 
you  I  will  go  up  with  you  to  your  boarduig- 
place  and  see  you  safely  home."  He  mildly 
objected  that  it  was  not  necessary,  but  finally 
yielded  to  my  persuasion,  and  I  accompanied 
him  to  the  house.  When  we  reached  the  door 
he  said,  "  Good  night "  again,  but  I  said : 
"  Jimmie,  I  have  never  been  to  your  room, 
and  if  you  don't  object,  I  would  like  to  go  up 
with  you."  He  said,  "  It  is  very  late  now, 
and  you  have  already  given  me  too  much 
time.    I  have  only  a  little  side  room.    Don't 

[107] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE  GLEAM 


bother  to  come  up."  But  I  still  insisted  that 
I  would  like  to  go  up  with  him,  and  he  re- 
luctantly consented.  As  we  entered  the  room, 
I  saw  he  was  rather  clumsy  about  taking  off 
his  coat,  and  I  said:  "If  you  don't  mind, 
Jimmie,  I  will  help  you  a  little  and  see  you 
safely  in  bed."  So  after  a  little  he  was  nicely 
tucked  in  and  I  bade  him  good  night  and  went 
downstairs.    What  follows  is  his  own  story. 

He  says  that  as  soon  as  he  heard  my  foot- 
steps echoing  up  the  deserted  street,  he 
jumped  out  of  bed  and  said  to  himself :  "  Now 
for  a  good  time.  I  will  go  down  and  meet 
the  boys  and  we'll  have  a  lot  of  fun  before 
the  break  of  day."  Then  he  stopt  and 
thought :  "  I  had  no  claim  on  this  man.  He 
came  home  with  me  and  would  not  leave  me 
until  he  had  tucked  me  nicely  in  bed.  I  am 
a  mean  man,  but  I  am  not  mean  enough  to  go 
back  on  a  fellow  who  has  been  as  kind  as  that 
to  me."  So  he  went  back  to  bed  and  fell 
asleep.  "When  he  awoke  in  the  morning, 
strange  to  say,  for  the  first  time  in  years  he 
felt  no  longing  for  drink.  He  went  to  his 
breakfast  and  to  his  work  and  did  not  take  a 
drop.     He  finished  the  day  as  sober  as  he 

[108] 


"  JIMMEE  " 


began  it.  What  was  true  of  the  first  day  was 
true  of  the  second  and  the  third,  and  the  days 
that  followed.  He  came  to  the  prayer-meeting 
and  the  class-meeting,  and  exprest  his  as- 
tonishment at  the  change  which  had  taken 
place  within  him.  He  said  that  he  was  a  new 
man ;  that  a  new  life  had  taken  possession  of 
him.  And  he  looked  it.  His  very  face 
seemed  transfigured  by  the  light  which  shone 
within.  Many  months  thereafter  he  contin- 
ued with  unabating  zeal  to  give  his  testimony 
and  to  show  forth  in  his  life  "  the  peaceable 
fruits  of  righteousness."  In  the  following 
autumn  he  was  taken  seriously  sick,  and  the 
doctors  prescribed  some  alcoholic  stimulant. 
This  seemed  to  stir  up  the  old  demon  that 
was  in  him.  As  soon  as  he  was  able  to  get 
out  of  the  house  he  went  off  on  a  debauch 
that  lasted  nearly  a  week.  Then  he  came 
back — back  like  a  prodigal  and  penitent.  He 
told  in  the  public  service  how  he  had  fallen, 
and  blamed  nobody  but  himself.  He  said  he 
felt  that  God  had  forgiven  him  and  asked  if 
the  Church  could  also  forgive  him.  I  had 
changed   meanwhile,    to    another   pastorate, 

[109] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE  GLEAM 


and  he  wrote  to  me,  telling  me  all  about  it  and 
asking  my  forgiveness. 

In  the  months  that  followed,  he  rarely 
spoke  that  he  did  not  tell  his  experience — 
told  how  he  had  fallen  and  how  Christ  had 
lifted  him  up.  He  seemed  painfully  con- 
scious of  his  frailties,  and  in  his  prayers 
ceaselessly  acknowledged  his  weakness,  and 
importuned  the  saving  power  of  God.  One 
Friday  night  in  June  he  rose  and  gave  his 
testimony,  as  usual,  and  then  said :  "  I  am  so 
helpless  of  myself  that  I  dare  not  boast.  I 
don't  know  what  may  befall  me  in  the  future, 
but  my  hope  is  in  God.  Whatever  may  come 
in  future  days,  I  want  to  bear  testimony  now, 
that  at  five  minutes  to  nine  o'clock  on  the 
fourteenth  of  June,  Jimmie  can  read  his  title 
clear  to  mansions  in  the  sky."  The  next 
day  he  went  to  Providence  on  his  usual 
round  of  business.  At  noon  he  went  to  a 
restaurant  where  he  was  accustomed  to 
go,  gave  an  order  for  his  lunch  to  the 
waiter,  and  sat  thoughtfully  in  his  chair. 
The  waiter  heard  a  noise,  and,  looking  back, 
found  that  Jimmie  had  slipt  from  his  chair 
to  the  floor.     They  raised  him  up,  but  the 

[110] 


"  JIMMEE 


vital  spark  had  fled.  They  brought  back  all 
that  was  mortal  of  him,  and  his  old  friends 
gathered  to  pay  their  last  tribute  of  respect. 
To  this  day  they  talk  of  Jimmie  in  that  old 
historic  church,  and  his  memory  is  "  as  oint- 
ment poured  forth."  Whatever  were  the 
mistakes  of  the  sinful  years,  it  is  an  imspeak- 
able  comfort  to  those  who  loved  him,  to  know 
that  on  the  last  night  of  his  life  he  could  read 
his  "  title  clear  to  mansions  in  the  skies." 


[Ill] 


KID  HALL  OF  JOLIET 


We  must  believe  in  the  reeoverability  of  man  at  his 
-worst.  \Mien  we  declare  "  Jesus  Christ  came  into  the  world 
to  save  sinners,"  it  must  be  with  no  kind  of  reserves.  To 
falter  here  will  be  to  find  our  sword  arm  wither  when  we 
are  in  the  hottest  of  the  fight.  Unless  we  can  be  sure  that 
we  have  a  gospel  for  everybodv,  we  can  never  be  sure  that 
we  have  a  gospel  for  anybody. 

Prof.  George  Jackson. 

Let  me  live  in  my  house  by  the  side  of  the  road. 

Where  the  race  of  men  go  by; 
They  are  good,  they  are  bad,  they  are  weak,  they  are  strong. 

Wise,  foolish.     So  am  I. 
Then  why  should  I  sit  in  the  scorner's  seat. 

Or  hurl  the  cynic's  ban? 
Let  me  live  in  my  house  by  the  side  of  the  road, 

And  be  a  friend  to  man. 

Sam  ^V alter  Foss. 

O,  this  mortal  house 
Which  we  are  bom  into,  is  haunted  by 
The  ghosts  of  the  dead  passions  of  dead  men 
And  these  take  flesh  again  with  our  own  flesh 
And  bring  us  to  confusion. 

Tennyson. 


V 

KID   HALL   OF   JOLIET 

The  story  which  I  am  about  to  relate  is  one 

which  in  many  important  particulars  differs 
from  any  which  I  have  ever  read  or  expe- 
rienced. I  shall  relate  it  as  nearly  as  possi- 
ble, in  the  words  in  which  it  came  to  me.  It 
gains  a  chief  part  of  its  value  from  the  fact 
that  it  is  a  real  chapter  from  the  underworld, 
and  it  is  a  citizen  from  that  world,  almost 
an  alien  and  foreigner  in  the  ordinary  walks 
of  decent  life,  who  speaks.  The  language  is 
his  own,  the  mental  processes,  facing  a  mar- 
velous and  hitherto  incomprehensible  expe- 
rience, are  a  corroborative  lesson  in  the 
power  of  the  spiritual  upon  the  human  soul, 
which  might  put  the  best  of  us  to  school  and 
strike  the  simple  solemn.  I  would  give  much 
to  know  how  it  all  came  out,  but  I  saw  and 
bare  witness  that,  face  to  face  with  the  gnaw- 
ings  of  hunger  and  the  anxieties  of  self-pres- 
ervation, the  gleam  did  not  fade  out  of  his 

[115] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


life,  and  that  lie  went  out  of  my  presence 
in  the  strength  of  the  same  purpose  which 
took  St.  Paul  to  the  block,  Huss  to  the  flames, 
and  has  sent  men  and  women  in  all  the  Chris- 
tian ages  to  face,  unblanched,  the  worst  that 
could  be  brought  against  them,  and  to  hail 
the  sword  and  the  fagot  and  even  wild  beasts 
as  a  bridegroom  might  hail  his  bride.  I  have 
nothing  now  to  say  about  the  psychology 
of  conversion.  I  have  been  so  busy  all  my 
life  among  the  marvels  of  the  grace  of  God 
and  have  felt  such  holy  triumph  in  the  trans- 
formations which  grace  has  wrought  that  I 
have  been  but  slow  to  enter  the  laboratory 
to  analyze  and  dissect  the  emotions  which 
have  culminated  in  these  wondrous  trans- 
formations. The  lessons  which  it  teaches,  I 
shall  not  take  time  to  indicate.  Each  man 
who  is  sufficiently  interested  to  think  at  all 
concerning  them,  will  get  lessons  of  his  own. 
I  simply  show  the  fact.  Let  each  man  take 
it  from  his  own  angle.  But  any  angle  will 
furnish  evidence  enough  that  it  is  a  fact. 
You  shall  judge  for  yourself  as  I  tell  my 
story. 
It  was  a  day  in  the  springtime.    I  was  busy 

[116] 


KID   HALL   OF  JOLIET 


at  my  desk,  and  the  sexton,  who  stood  guard 
at  the  study  door — may  his  tribe  increase ! — 
was  anxious  to  keep  me  from  needless  and 
useless  interruption.  He  opened  the  door 
and  stood  for  a  moment,  questioning  and 
irresolute,  but  a  moment  later  said,  with 
some  diffidence :  "  There's  a  fellow  here  who 
wants  to  see  you.  I  tried  to  see  if  I  couldn't 
save  you  from  interruption,  but  there's  some- 
thing about  him  that  makes  me  think  that  you 
had  better  see  him  if  you  can.  I  am  almost 
afraid  of  him,  but  I  think  he  will  not  do  you 
personal  harm."  I  answered,  "  Show  him  in, 
George,  at  once."  George  returned  after  a 
minute  or  two,  bringing  with  him  a  short- 
haired,  red-headed,  thick-set  young  man,  as 
fine  an  animal  as  I  had  seen  in  a  long  time. 
There  was  a  sinuosity  in  his  movements  com- 
bined with  a  certain  speed  and  deftness, 
which  arrested  my  attention  at  once.  He  was 
large-framed,  and  there  was  not  a  spare 
ounce  of  fat  upon  him.  He  was  built  for 
business,  and  his  whole  movement  of  eye  and 
face  and  body  reminded  me  of  some  beast 
seeking  to  evade  or  foil  an  antagonist.  "  Is 
this  a  Gospel  shop,  and  be  you  a  man  who 

[117] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


peddles  out  the  goods?  Somebody  told  me 
about  you,  and  told  me  as  how  you  was  a 
good-natured  guy  as  wouldn't  blow  on  a  fel- 
ler, and  would  give  him  a  chance.  So  I  made 
up  my  mind  Pd  size  yer  up  and  see  if  I  could 
trust  yer.  I  guess  you'll  do."  All  this  while 
he  was  looking,  part  of  the  time  at  me,  and 
part  of  the  time  with  a  restive  glance  he 
swept  the  room.  He  seemed  to  be  calculating 
as  to  its  dimensions  and  the  facility  with 
which  its  windows  could  be  opened  or  closed. 
And  he  seemed  to  be  running  me  over  and 
sizing  me  up,  physically  as  well  as  otherwise. 
"  You  don't  know  me,"  says  he,  "  But  I  am 
Kid  Hall.  I'm  just  out  of  prison.  Was  you 
ever  in  prison?"  I  assured  him  that  I  had 
occasionally  visited  prisons,  but  didn't  pre- 
tend to  any  intimate  relations.  "  I  have  got 
to  talk  with  somebody,"  said  he,  "  and  I  am 
going  to  tell  you  how  I  came  to  be  in  prison, 
and  how  I  came  to  be  here.  You  never  seen 
my  kind  before,  but  there's  lots  of  us.  My 
father  and  mother  sent  me  out  to  steal  when 
I  was  three  years  old,  and  I  was  a  buster  at 
it.  I  swiped  things  right  along  and  nobody 
ever  thought  of  suspecting  a  little  kid  like 

[118] 


KID   HALL   OF  JOLEET 


me.  But  by  and  by  they  got  on  to  me.  They 
took  me  up  for  one  thing  and  another,  and 
because  I  was  so  little  they  let  me  go.  But 
when  I  was  eleven  years  old  they  sent  me  to 
the  reform  school  to  stay  there  till  I  was 
growed  up.  You  don^t  s'pose  I  did  that,  do 
yer?  Not  much!  I  was  good  for  a  little 
while  and  then,  when  they  trusted  me,  I 
skipt.  'X  little  while  later  they  took  me  in 
again,  and  this  time  they  sent  me  to  prison. 
My  father  and  mother  both  died  in  prison 
under  life  sentence.  I  had  a  brother,  and  he 
was  the  only  one  I  ever  cared  about  anyway, 
but  I  shot  him.  We  stood  at  a  bar  drinkin' 
a  social  glass.  Neither  of  us  were  ever  in- 
toxicated, and  we  weren't  drinkin'  nothin' 
strong  that  time ;  just  a  little  beer.  He  said 
somethin'  I  didn't  like.  I  said,  ^  Bill,  have 
you  got  a  gun  V  '  0^  course  I've  got  a  gun ! ' 
'  Pull  it,  then ! '  We  pulled  together,  but  I 
got  the  drop  on  him.  I  shot  him  and  he  fell, 
and  I  put  three  bullets  into  him  as  he  lay  on 
the  floor.  He  got  well  and  died  years  after 
with  consumption.  After  I  got  out  of  jail 
one  time,  I  went  back  to  the  house  where  we 
used  to  live.    I  don't  know  why  I  did  it,  as 

[119] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


there  was  nothin'  pleasant  that  ever  hap- 
pened to  me  there.  I  guess  my  mother  loved 
me:  I  don't  know  about  that.  Had  a  queer 
way  o'  showin'  it.  Somethin'  seemed  to  kind 
o'  tug  in  me.  I  just  don't  know  what  it  was. 
Don't  know  as  I  ever  felt  it  before,  but  I 
looked  up  at  the  windows  of  the  old  house 
and  thought  of  all  the  damnable  rackets  that 
had  gone  on  there,  and  thought  of  all  I  had 
suffered  on  account  of  them,  and  all  other 
folks  had  suffered  on  account  of  them,  and 
somehow  I  made  up  my  mind  that  I  would 
try  to  live  a  decent  life  and  be  honest.  I 
could  steal — steal  cents  from  dead  men's 
eyes  or  a  billy  from  between  a  policeman's 
knees.  It  seemed  pure  waste  not  to  use  a  tal- 
ent like  that,  but  I  really  made  up  my  mind  to 
play  fair.  So  I  went  across  the  street  to  the 
priest's  house.  My  father  was  a  friend  of 
the  priest.  Part  of  the  time  he  sold  liquor, 
and  he  almost  always  had  a  thousand  dollars 
about  his  clothes.  Once  when  they  raised  a 
big  purse  for  the  priest,  my  father  gave  three 
hundred  dollars  toward  it.  I  thought  the 
priest  would  know  me  and  be  interested  in 
me.    So  I  rang  the  bell.    The  priest  came  to 

[120] 


KID   HALL   OF  JOLIET 


the  door  and  I  said,  ^  Can't  you  get  me  a 
chance  to  work?'  *Work?'  said  he,  ^you 
don't  want  to  work,  you  want  to  steal.  That's 
all  you  ever  did  and  that's  all  you  want  to  do.' 
He  started  to  shut  the  door.  I  put  up  my 
hand  to  keep  it  from  closing.  As  he  shut  it  my 
finger  was  caught  in  the  jamb  and  crusht. 
Then  I  felt  an  awful  feeling  right  here  inside 
o'  me.  I  s'pose  it  was  the  devil.  It  seemed 
to  come  up  in  my  throat  as  big  as  a  baseball 
and  stuck  there,  and  something  seemed  to 
say,  ^Kill!  Steal!  Nobody  cares  for  you; 
make  everybody  hate  you  and  fear  you ! ' 
And  I  started  in  to  do  it.  I  have  often  walked 
my  room  nights  grinding  my  teeth,  a  pistol 
in  each  hand,  wishing  somebody  would  come 
to  the  door  that  I  could  kill  them,  or  get 
killed,  I  didn't  care  which. 

"  I  am  a  crook.  My  name  and  my  picture 
are  in  all  the  Rogues  Galleries.  Once  a  re- 
porter wrote  me  up.  He  covered  the  side  of 
a  newspaper  with  his  story.  In  one  corner 
he  had  my  picture,  and  in  the  opposite  cor- 
ner a  picture  of  a  bulldog.  That  did  me 
more  harm  among  the  police  than  any- 
thing that  ever  happened  to  me.     He  tried 

[121] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


to  make  out  that  I  was  not  a  man;  only 
a  beast.  He  compared  my  jaw  and  eye  and 
everything  with  the  dog's,  and  made  me  out 
more  brutal  than  the  dog.  Maybe  he  was 
right.  I  guess  I  am  more  of  a  brute  than  a 
decent  dog.  Six  weeks  ago  I  was  pardoned 
out  of  Joliet  prison.  I  was  sent  in  for  four- 
teen years  and  was  pardoned  at  the  end  of 
five  and  a  half  years.  When  I  left  jail  and 
went  to  Chicago,  the  police  told  me  that  I  bet- 
ter move  on,  so  I  went  to  H ,  a  small  city. 

Going  through  the  depot  I  met  the  Chief  of 
Police.  He  recognized  me  and  said,  '  Hello, 
Kid ! '  I  said,  '  Haven't  you  made  a  mis- 
take ? '  I  had  been  in  his  care  more  than 
once,  and  he  said,  '  Well,  I  guess  not !  Who 
are  you  going  to  crack  here  ? '  ^  Not  you. 
Cap,'  I  said,  *you  always  used  me  fair.' 
*  Well,  Kid,'  he  said,  '  about  next  Monday 
you'd  better  move  on.'  *Is  that  an  order?' 
I  asked.  '  Yes,  you  may  consider  it  that 
way.'  I  went  out  of  the  depot  and  met  a  man 
well  dressed  and  good  looking,  who  stopped 
me  and  said :  *  Well,  you  Kid,  where  did  you 
come  from? '  I  was  mad  to  see  a  well-dressed 
guy  like  him  make  fun,  and  I  said,  '  What  do 

[122] 


KID   HALL   OF  JOLIET 


you  know  about  me?  Better  be  careful  how 
you  talk  to  folks  as  you  don't  know ! '  ^  Well, 
I  ought  to  know  you.  Don't  you  remember 
Jack  who  was  two  years  with  you  in  Joliet  ? ' 

*  You  ain't  Jack ;  Jack  was  no  guy  like  you ! ' 
But  I  seen  pretty  soon  as  it  was  Jack  sure 
enough,  so  I  says,  *  Well,  what  are  you  at 
now? '  '  I'm  in  a  bank.'  '  How  much  is  there 
in  it? '    '  There's  sixteen  a  week  in  it  for  me.' 

*  Oh,  come  off !  when  are  you  goin'  to  crack 
it  ? '  '  Never.  I  am  trusted  and  respected. 
I  carry  thousands  of  dollars  for  them  safely 
every  day.  I  have  given  up  all  the  life  I  used 
to  live.  I've  got  a  wife.'  '  Oh,  maybe  you've 
got  some  other  man's  wife,  but  you  ain't  got 
any  that  belongs  to  you,  that  was  married  to 
you,  have  you?  '  ^  Yes,  and  I've  got  a  little 
boy  two  years  old.  Come  with  me  and  see 
them  and  have  dinner.'  I  didn't  believe  him, 
but  I  went.  His  wife  met  him  at  the  door 
with  the  little  boy,  and  they  all  seemed 
happy.  I  couldn't  understand  it.  I  thought 
there  must  be  something  crooked  somewhere, 
but  I  couldn't  find  it.  So,  while  I  ate  my  din- 
ner I  was  looking  and  guessing.  When  we 
got  through  I  said,  ^  Now,  Jack,  is  this  all 

[123] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


straight,  or  are  you  just  kiddin'  me? '  ^  Yes, 
Kid,  it  is  all  straight  and  right.  I  am  just 
what  you  see.  This  happy  home  is  mine 
and  all  our  love  is  pure  and  true.'  ^  Tell  me, 
then,  how  did  you  come  to  thisV  *  Well, 
when  I  came  out  of  prison  the  last  time  I 
made  up  my  mind  I  would  do  differently. 
One  night  I  went  to  church  and  heard  about 
a  chance  for  such  men  as  I  had  been.  The 
minister  said  that  a  man  whose  heart  and 
hands  had  been  stained  with  sin  might  yet 
be  cleansed  and  his  evil  heart  become  tender 
and  pure.  That  seemed  too  good  to  be  true, 
and  I  thought  there  must  be  some  mistake 
about  it.  But  I  went  the  next  night  and  the 
night  after,  and  he  seemed  so  sure  about  it 
and  sang  the  old  hymn 

The  dying  thief  rejoiced  to  see 

That  fountain  in  his  day, 
And  there  may  I,  though  vile  as  he, 

Wash  all  my  sins  away. 

You  know  what  a  thief  I  had  been  and  I 
thought  I  knew  something  about  that  other 
thief  and  that  seemed  as  if  it  were  written 
for  me.    So  I  went  again  and  again,  and  at 

[124] 


I 


KID   HALL   OF  JOLIET 


last  the  blessedness  of  it  all  came  upon  me 
like  a  great  light,  and  I  felt  that  I  had  lost 
all  my  old  desires,  and  I  had  a  new  set  of 
longings,  and  I  hardly  dared  to  go  to  sleep 
at  night  for  fear  they  would  slip  away  from 
me  before  morning. 

"  *  But  my  life  was  really  changed ;  and 
that  is  just  what  you  need,  Kid.  If  you 
had  what  I  got  at  the  church  you  would 
be  another  man.'  *  Well,  I  would  like  to 
be  another  man,  sure  enough.  I  hate  to 
think  of  the  past,  and  there  is  nothing  to 
hope  for  ahead;  but  a  poor  fellow  like  me 
nobody  wants.  The  decent  people  all  turn 
from  me  and  I  have  to  go  back  to  the  old  way. 
Do  you  really  think  there  is  any  chance  that 
I  could  get  what  you  have  got  ? '  '  Oh,  yes, 
I'm  sure  you  could.'  '  When  do  you  s'pose 
I  could  get  it  ?  '  *  Well,  I  think  you  could  get 
it  now  if  you  really  want  it.  If  you  are  really 
willing  to  pray  and  to  give  up  the  old  life. 
Will  you  pray  now  with  me  ? '  That  made 
me  laugh  to  hear  the  man  talk  about  my 
praying.  What  would  God  care  about  my 
prayers?  But  I  finally  said  if  he  thought  it 
was  any  use,  I  would.     So  we  got  down  on 

[125] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


our  knees  and  prayed.  He  prayed  first,  and 
then  I  said  a  few  words  myself.  I  don't  re- 
member just  what  they  was;  couldn't  say 
now;  just  asked  for  help  for  a  man  as  was  a 
beast.  I  don't  know  what  happened  to  me, 
but  when  I  got  up  that  baseball  had  gone  out 
of  my  throat,  and  for  the  first  time  since 
the  minister  crusht  my  finger,  I  felt  kind  to 
folks.  But  I  said :  '  Jack,  it  ain't  no  use. 
Two  days  after  I  got  out  of  prison  I  robbed 
a  store.  I  got  $750  there,  and  the  next  night 
I  robbed  another  and  got  $1,400.  Now  what 
would  you  do  ? '  ^  Don't  ask  me  what  I'd  do. 
I  might  be  weak,  but  you  and  I  know  what 
you  ought  to  do.  You  ought  to  send  it  back.' 
'But  I  haven't  got  it  all:  I  spent  $500.' 
'Well,  send  back  what  you  have.'  I  had  a 
few  diamonds  and  I  pawned  them  and  some 
other  things,  and  I  got  together  enough  to 
pay  the  full  amount  except  $61.  And  Jack 
took  that  out  of  the  little  he  had  saved,  drew 
it  out  of  the  bank  and  gave  it  to  me.  Then 
Jack  wrote  to  the  men  I  had  robbed,  told 
them  the  whole  story,  sent  a  check  and  asked 
if  they  would  let  up  on  me.  They  both  said 
they  would  never  bother  me  and  hoped  I 

[126] 


KID   HALL   OF  JOLIET 


would  do  well.  Then  Jack  said,  ^  I'll  get  you 
a  place  to  work.'  But  I  said,  *  It's  no  use. 
The  Chief  told  me  to  move  on  next  Monday.' 
But  Jack  said,  *  I  have  a  friend  who  is  rich, 
a  millionaire  maybe,  and  the  officers  do  what 
he  says.  I'll  ask  him  to  get  the  Chief  to  let 
you  stay.'  I  knew  it  was  no  use,  but  Jack 
wanted  to  try,  so  I  let  him.  His  friend  told 
the  Chief  that  he  must  let  me  stay,  but  the 
Chief  said  ^  I  would  be  glad  to  do  anything 
you  want,  but  I  can't  do  this.  I  know  the 
Kid.  He's  only  coddin'  you.  He'll  be  decent 
a  few  days  and  then  some  night  there'll  be  a 
big  bank  robbery  and  the  Kid  will  do  it,  and 
folks  will  say  the  Chief  knew  he  was  in  town 
and  let  him  stay,  and  I  shall  lose  my  office 
and  everybody  will  say  it  served  him  right, 
he  is  too  old  to  be  a  tenderfoot.  No,  Kid 
can't  stay.'  I  knew  it  would  be  so ;  my  name 
is  on  the  books  in  a  dozen  States,  as  an  habit- 
ual thief.  When  I  strike  a  town  the  police 
know  me,  and  it  is  '  Move  on !  Move  on ! '  I 
tried  three  times  to  get  to  Canada,  once  at 
Buffalo,  but  the  police  were  on  to  me  and  I 
could  not  get  over.  Then  I  tried  it  in  a  little 
town  on  Lake  Ontario,  but  when  I  got  on  the 

9  [127] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


boat  they  sent  me  back  to  land,  and  I  could 
not  get  across  there.  Now  here  I  am.  I  can- 
not go  toward  Chicago,  or  toward  Philadel- 
phia, and  here  I  am  in  New  York,  where  they 
have  given  me  till  noon  to-day,  and  my  time 
is  up  this  minute  while  I  am  talking  to  you. 
I  can  go  back  to  my  old  life  and  make  money. 
I  can  make  more  money  in  a  night  than  you 
can  make  in  a  year.  Only  yesterday  I  saw  a 
man  in  Jersey  City.  He  was  full  as  a  tick  and 
I  saw  him  count  out  several  hundred  dollars 
and  put  the  roll  in  his  outside  pocket.  I  could 
have  got  it  in  a  minute,  and  he  would  never 
have  known.  My  old  longing  seized  me,  and 
I  followed  him  three  blocks.  I  thought  one 
spell  I  would  simply  have  to  rob  him,  but  I 
finally  went  up  to  him  and  put  my  hand  on 
his  shoulder.  *  My  friend,'  I  said,  ^  I  saw  you 
put  some  money  in  your  coat.  Somebody  will 
steal  it  if  you  don't  look  out.'  That  seemed 
to  bring  him  to  his  senses,  and  he  clapped  his 
hand  on  his  pocket  and  said,  ^  Maybe  some- 
body did  steal  it.'  But  he  found  it  was  still 
there  and  he  put  it  in  the  inside  of  his  vest. 
Now  look  at  me.  See  how  nervous  I  am.  I 
shake  as  if  I  was  seventy-five  years  old.    I 

[128] 


KID   HALL   OF  JOLIET 


don't  know  what  is  the  matter  with  me.  I  am 
not  afraid  of  anything  when  I  am  at  my 
work.  I  can  get  out  of  any  place,  and  if  I 
don't  I  don't  care.  Once  in  Virginia  I  had 
a  rope  aronnd  my  neck.  A  hundred  men 
were  around  me,  but  I  wasn't  afraid.  I  kept 
my  wits,  and  soon  my  chance  came.  While 
my  captors  were  planning  what  they  would 
do  with  me,  I  cut  the  rope  and  beat  the 
crowd." 

"  Tell  me,"  I  said,  "  did  drink  have  any- 
thing to  do  with  your  keeping  on  in  crime  ?  " 
"Drink?  Wliat  would  a  man  in  my  work 
do  with  drink?  He  wants  all  his  wits  in  his 
fingers  and  his  heels.  He  has  to  walk  a  chalk 
mark,  or  stand  on  his  head  on  top  of  a  fence. 
Drink?  I  haven't  had  a  glass  of  liquor  down 
my  throat  in  years.  Once  in  a  great  while 
a  glass  of  beer,  but  never  but  one,  and  that 
seldom.  I  don't  drink,  smoke,  or  lie,  and  see 
how  nervous  I  am.  Now  if  I  was  back  it 
would  be  different  Twenty-five  years  a 
crook,  and  a  few  weeks  an  honest  man,  and 
more  trouble  in  those  few  weeks  than  in  all 
the  other  years." 

He  began  to  grip  me,  and  my  heart  went 

[129] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


out  to  liim,  and  I  said,  "  Have  you  had  any- 
thing to  eat  to-day f  "I  have  not  had  a 
mouthful  to  eat  for  forty-eight  hours.  I  met 
an  old  pal  on  the  street  yesterday  and  he 
said,  *  How  is  trade? '  and  I  said,  '  No  trade/ 
He  said,  '  Got  any  swagf '  I  said  ^  No.'  He 
pulled  out  a  fifty-dollar  bill  and  offered  it  to 
me.  I  said,  ^  I  am  done  with  this  business. 
I  just  sent  back  two  thousand  dollars  that  I 
stole,  and  I  won't  take  fifty  dollars  that  you 
stole.'  I  left  him,  but  I  heard  him  say, 
'  What's  done  Kid  Hall? '  " 

I  said  to  him,  "  It's  too  bad  for  you  to  have 
to  face  such  a  condition.  I  know  people  here 
and  I  think  I  can  get  a  chance  for  you."  And 
he  said,  "You?  You're  only  a  little  one 
'longside  o'  the  big  fellers !  What  could  you 
do?  The  big  fellers  know  me.  I  could  send 
some  o'  them  to  jail  for  life.  Some  o'  them 
would  help  me,  but  they  can't.  I  am  marked. 
I've  got  to  move  on.  There's  no  other  way. 
It's  always  the  same  old  story,  move  on! 
move  on !  move  on !  Sol  shall  move  on.  To 
what,  God  knows.  Boston  is  the  only  direc- 
tion I  can  go  in  to-day  and  I  must  leave  now." 

While    we    were    talking,    the    deaconess 

[130] 


KID   HALL   OF  JOLIET 


stept  on  a  register  overhead,  and  he  noticed 
that  it  had  been  open.  He  sprang  into  the 
middle  of  the  floor,  clenched  his  hands  and 
said,  ^' Am  I  traptl  Are  you  going  to  run 
me  in!"  I  assured  him  that  he  was  per- 
fectly safe  and  that  only  friends  were  about 
him.  In  a  few  minutes  the  deaconess  ap- 
peared at  the  study  door  and  asked  about 
some  sick  people  who  were  to  be  visited.  He 
seemed  to  be  reassured  and  satisfied.  "  You 
are  a  guy,"  said  he,  "  but  you  are  a  good  one ; 
I  can  see  that.  I  believe  I  could  trust  you. 
I  haven't  asked  you  for  anything,  have  I!  " 
And  I  was  obliged  to  say  "  No,  you  haven't 
asked  for  anything,  and  you  have  refused 
every  offer  of  help  that  I  have  made."  He 
said :  "  I  don't  want  any  help.  Do  you 
know  why  I  came  here  to  see  you?  Well, 
I'll  tell  you.  When  I  left  Jack  he  gave 
me  forty  dollars.  I  had  borrowed  sixty, 
so  I  owe  him  a  hundred.  He  said  to  me, 
^  Kid,  if  it  comes  hard  with  you  and  you 
have  to  move  on  and  can't  find  work,  I 
want  you  to  promise  me  that  when  you  are 
at  the  end  of  your  wits,  instead  of  giving  up 
and  going  back  to  the  old  life  and  taking  out 

[131] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


of  your  heart  the  peace  that  you  feel,  that 
you  will  go  to  some  minister  and  just  talk  it 
over  with  him  and  tell  him  how  you  feel. 
Even  if  he  can't  help  you,  it  will  give  you 
strength.  He  will  be  glad  to  see  you,  and 
then  you  will  feel  more  like  being  a  man  at 
any  cost.'  I  promised  him  Pd  do  it,  and  the 
only  reason  I  came  to  you  was  that  I'd  got 
to  the  end  of  my  rope.  I've  kept  my  promise 
to  Jack,  and  now  I'll  move  on.  You  can't 
help  me,  and  I  don't  want  anything.  I  will 
keep  straight  as  well  as  I  can."  He  pulled 
a  plain  gold  ring  out  of  his  pocket  and  said : 
"  That  belonged  to  one  of  my  prison  pals. 
He  was  a  crook  like  myself.  There  are  less 
than  fifty  of  us  in  the  country.  Plenty  of 
thieves,  of  course,  but  we  don't  associate  with 
thieves.  It  takes  some  brains  to  crack  a  bank 
and  get  away  with  the  loot,  and  there  aren't 
more  than  fifty  of  us  that  are  up  to  the  job. 
This  pal  o'  mine  was  a  good  one ;  nerve  like  a 
steel  bar.  One  day  he  shot  his  guard  and 
vamoosed  the  ranch.  They  got  after  him 
quick.  The  whole  yard  full  of  men  chased 
him  hard.  He  shot  at  sixteen  men,  wounding 
some  and  killing  some.     It  was  up  against 

[132] 


KID  HALL  OF  JOLIET 


him  hard.  They  got  a  hundred  men  around 
him  in  a  swamp,  and  he  knew  there  was  death 
at  both  ends  as  well  as  in  front  of  him.  So 
at  last,  rather  than  go  back  at  the  end  of  a 
halter,  or  be  riddled  by  the  guns  of  those  he 
hated,  he  sent  a  bullet  through  his  own  heart. 
His  folks  gave  me  this  ring.  Whenever  I 
look  at  it  I  think  of  Jack."  And  then  a  far- 
away look  came  into  his  face  and  he  said, 
more  to  himself  than  to  me :  "  If  worse  comes 
to  worst  I  can  follow  Jack,  and  I  will  do  it 
rather  than  go  back  to  the  old  life." 

All  the  time  he  had  been  talking  to  me  he 
had  walked  up  and  down  the  study,  his  face  a 
picture  of  conflicting  emotions.  As  he  told 
some  story  of  the  old  life  of  sin,  his  face 
would  blaze  with  the  old  passion  and  his 
hands  would  work  convulsively,  as  if  they 
were  still  clutching  the  jimmy.  But  that 
emotion  would  pass  when  he  recalled  the  new 
stand  he  had  taken,  and  his  exultation  was 
changed,  not  so  much  to  remorse,  as  to  a  look 
of  wonder  at  the  transformation  of  his  own 
soul.  At  one  moment  he  would  throw  back 
his  head  and  look  down  at  me  as  if  he  pitied 
a  man  who  had  never  killed  anybody  and  car- 

[133] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


ried  no  lead  in  his  tissues  as  a  reminder  of 
some  wild  scrape.  But  in  another  moment 
that  look  faded  out  and  he  seemed  to  be  won- 
dering how  a  man  could  go  through  life  un- 
scarred  and  uncondemned.  The  old  pride  of 
his  profession  gleamed  in  his  eye  as  he  told 
me  of  his  hair-breadth  escapes  and  how  he 
had  outwitted  the  keenest  detectives  and 
evaded  the  hottest  pursuits.  But  all  that  was 
only  the  involuntary  rush  of  the  past.  It 
was  plain  that  I  was  looking  into  the  face  of 
'a  man  who  was  a  new  creature  by  the  grace 
of  God,  not  made  into  my  model  or  yours ;  as 
strange  to  the  surroundings  of  a  pastor's 
study  as  a  pastor  might  be  in  Leadville  when 
''  Left-handed  Jack "  mounted  the  table  in 
the  barroom  and  the  rest  hid  behind  the  bar 
and  under  the  table,  or  went  out  to  shoot  up 
the  town. 

Kid  Hall  had  told  me  his  story  and  I  be- 
lieved every  word  of  it.  No  man  could  have 
looked  into  his  face  and  doubted  him.  But 
the  evidence  which  men  cannot  simulate,  the 
message  of  one  yearning  soul  to  another, 
smote  me  full  in  the  face  and  struck  my  ques- 
tioning dumb.     When  a  man  who  is  at  his 

[134] 


KID   HALL   OF  JOLIET 


wits'  end  comes  to  you  for  help,  there  is  only 
one  kind  of  help  that  is  worth  while;  and 
that  is  not  man's  but  God's.  So  I  said  to  him : 
*^  I  wish  I  could  help  you."  I  reached  out 
my  hand  to  shake  hands  with  him  and  in 
my  palm  was  a  bill.  As  soon  as  he  felt  the 
touch  of  it  he  drew  back,  and  I  said:  "It 
would  be  a  comfort  to  me  to  feel  that  I  had 
helped  you  on."  But  he  said :  "  I  didn't  come 
to  you  for  money,  and  I  won't  take  it.  I  am 
keeping  a  pledge  which  I  honestly  made.  I 
have  been  a  thief  but  I  am  not  a  liar,  and  I 
won't  take  money  from  a  guy  like  you.  I 
know  you  mean  it  well,  but  I'll  go  out  as  emp- 
ty-handed as  I  came."  It  was  then  that  I  re- 
minded him  of  a  help  higher  than  mine,  and 
I  said :  "  Let  us  pray."  He  went  to  his  knees 
and  buried  his  face  in  his  hands,  and  I  felt 
that  the  heavens  were  bending  low.  I  prayed 
for  him,  and,  I  presume,  gave  God  some  in- 
formation about  him  which  was  altogether 
unnecessary.  The  great  burden  of  my  prayer 
in  his  behalf  was  that  his  hope  and  courage 
might  not  fail  and  that  his  faith  might  not  be 
overwhelmed.  Then  I  asked  him  if  he  would 
pray.    I  have  wished  many  times  that  I  had 

[135] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE   GLEAM 


written  down  that  prayer.  I  cannot  quote  it, 
for  most  of  it  was  in  a  vocabulary  that 
neither  you  nor  I  have  ever  mastered.  Part 
of  it  was  like  the  language  of  a  thief  talking 
to  a  judge  ere  he  sent  him  to  merited  pun- 
ishment ;  and  part  of  it  was  like  the  language 
of  a  thief  who  was  talking  with  a  brother 
who  had  been  tempted  in  all  points  like  him- 
self, but  had  not  sinned;  and  part  of  it  was 
like  the  cry  of  a  home-bound  prodigal  who  had 
caught  sight  of  a  yearning  father  and  real- 
ized, though  late,  that  the  father  had  loved 
him  even  when  he  was  a  prodigal.  The  trans- 
formation of  his  own  face  was  beautiful  to 
see.  Before  he  finished  he  had  lifted  his  face, 
which  was  buried  in  his  arms  as  he  began, 
and  he  was  looking  up  toward  the  heavens 
with  his  eyes  open  as  if  he  saw  the  throne  of 
God  and  the  scarred  Brother  of  suffering 
men  sitting  on  the  throne.  When  he  rose  to 
his  feet  there  was  a  new  light  in  his  eyes  and 
a  spring  in  his  step  that  betokened  a  hope 
that  could  not  be  quenched.  He  said :  "  I'm 
late.  The  Chief  told  me  I  must  be  out  of  the 
town  before  now,  and  perhaps  I'll  get  in 
trouble  by  staying." 

[136] 


KID  HALL  OF  JOLIET 


As  I  thought  of  what  he  had  said  to  me, 
my  indignation  was  in  a  blaze.  Because  a 
man  has  done  wrong  is  he  never  to  have  an- 
other chance?  And  when  a  man  comes  out 
of  prison  does  he  have  the  mark  of  Cain  on 
him?  Is  he  to  be  forsaken  of  all  men?  For- 
ever crying  as  he  hastens  toward  a  hopeless 
grave,  lashed  by  those  who  are  more  success- 
ful but  less  soulful  than  himself :  ''  My  pun- 
ishment is  greater  than  I  can  bear  "  ?  When 
the  law  and  society  have  exacted  punishment 
to  their  hearts'  content  on  a  transgressor,  is 
not  that  enough?  When  a  man  is  sent  to 
prison  for  ten  years  or  twenty  years,  cannot 
society  be  content  with  that  awful  price  and 
waste?  Must  they  make  every  prisoner  a 
leper?  and  must  he  cry  "Unclean!  Un- 
clean? "  Is  there  no  door  of  honest  toil  open 
to  him?  Will  the  good  and  the  pure  give  him 
no  chance  for  uplifting  fellowship  ?  Will  the 
church  say :  "  I  am  sorry.  Be  ye  warmed  and 
be  ye  fed,"  but  not  touch  him  with  so  much 
as  the  tip  of  its  lean  and  spotless  finger? 
Would  it  not  really  be  better  to  make  every 
sentence  a  life  sentence,  so  that  every  trans- 
gressor may  be  at  least  sure  that  he  will  not 

[137] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


starve,  and  he  will  not  have  to  face  the  scath- 
ing contumely  of  the  sleek-faced  and  full- 
waisted  souls,  "  the  unco'  guid  "  I  These  are 
some  of  the  thoughts  that  were  with  me  then 
and  are  with  me  still. 

I  went  with  him  to  the  door.  I  begged  him 
once  more  to  let  me  help  him.  He  shook  his 
head  sadly,  but  with  determination.  As  I 
opened  the  door  he  peered  out  for  a  moment 
and  the  habit  of  a  lifetime  took  possession 
of  him.  He  cast  a  furtive  glance  up  and 
down  the  street  and  stept  back.  He  waited 
a  minute  or  two  and  then  stept  forward 
for  another  look,  and  almost  instantly  re- 
treated. Then  he  pulled  his  cap  lower  over 
his  eyes,  and  seemed  to  settle  his  head  a  little 
lower  on  his  shoulders.  He  looked  at  me  with 
a  mute  appeal,  but  did  not  answer  my  "  Good- 
by !  "  As  he  stept  to  the  sidewalk  he  glanced 
up  and  down  the  street,  and  walked  away.  I 
watched  him  until  he  turned  the  corner  and 
disappeared.  I  had  asked  him  to  write  to  me 
and  tell  me  how  he  got  on,  but  I  have  never 
heard  from  him  since.  I  would  give  much 
to  know  how  it  fared  with  him.  I  have 
thought  of  him  these  years  as  the  '^  Wander- 

[138] 


KID   HALL   OF  JOLIET 


ing  Jew,"  forever  told  to  "  Move  on ! "  I 
have  never  had  any  question  as  to  the  genu- 
ineness of  his  conversion,  and  I  have  never 
doubted  that  he  is  faithful  now,  or  was  faith- 
ful to  the  end.  I  have  wondered  how  he  stood 
the  strain 

"Left  to  the  fate  of  the  darkening  years 
And  the  little  mercy  of  men." 

When  I  have  read  in  the  papers  of  some  un- 
known body  cast  up  by  the  sea,  or  when  I 
have  read  of  some  body  unclaimed  at  the 
morgue,  I  have  wondered  if  it  was  he.  And 
if  he  has  really  gone  on  and  the  body  which 
was  scarred  has  gone  to  the  same  place  where 
the  body  of  Lazarus  went,  I  am  sure  his  soul 
has  gone  to  the  place  where  the  dying  Lord 
promised  to  keep  tryst  with  a  man  whose  lips 
were  parched  like  his  own  on  the  fateful 
cross,  and  I  should  like  to  have  heard  the  con- 
versation between  that  thief  and  mine  when 
they  met  in  Paradise ! 


[139] 


VI 

A  SKEPTIC'S  CONVERSION 

THE    EXPERIENCE    OF 
BISHOP   EGBERT  McINTYRE 


The  ordinary  agnostic  has  got  his  facts  all  wrong.  He 
is  a  non-believer  for  a  multitude  of  reasons;  but  they  are 
untrue  reasons.  He  doubts  because  the  Middle  Ages  were 
barbaric,  but  they  weren't;  because  Darwinism  is  demon- 
strated, but  it  isn't;  because  miracles  do  not  happen,  but 
they  do;  because  modern  science  is  moving  away  from  the 
supernatural,  but  it  isn't;  it  is  moving  toward  the  super- 
natural with  the  rapidity  of  a  railroad  train. 

Chesterton. 

Jesus  is  not  the  door  into  a  little  life;  He  leads  us  into 
the  largest,  fullest  life.  To  live  for  ourselves  is  to  die.  To 
make  life  an  end  in  itself  is  to  end  life;  to  love  your  life  is 
to  lose  it.  But  lose  your  life  and  you  save  it;  lay  it  down 
all  at  once,  if  God  should  so  will,  or  a  little  at  a  time 
every  day,  for  Jesus'  sake  and  the  Gospels,  and  you  will 
find  it  lifted  up  in  power  to  draw  men  to  Jesus. 

Bahcock. 


BISHOP   ROBERT   McINTYRE,   D.D. 


VI 
A   SKEPTIC'S   CONVERSION 

THE    EXPERIENCE    OF    BISHOP  ROBERT    McINTYRB 

As  I  was  walking  up  Seventh  Avenue  on  a 
recent  Sunday,  with  Bishop  Mclntyre,  who 
was  to  preach  that  morning  in  my  pulpit,  our 
conversation  turned  to  the  great  work  of 
saving  men.  We  were  speaking  of  the  va- 
rieties of  Christian  experience.  I  told  the 
Bishop  that  I  had  in  mind  the  preparation  of 
a  book  which  would  contain  the  life-story  of 
men  who  had  come  by  different  paths,  to  find 
the  same  peace,  through  faith  in  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  I  said :  "  I  have  read  some- 
where of  your  experience,  and  I  wish  I  had 
it  in  form,  so  that  I  could  present  it  with 
others."  The  Bishop  said :  "  I  should  be 
pleased  to  give  it  to  you,  and  I  shall  be  glad 
to  have  you  spread  it  as  widely  as  possible, 
to  the  end  that  men  who  are  naturally  skep- 
tical, as  I  was,  may  be  led  to  make  the  ven- 

10  [143] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


ture,  as  I  did.  I  am  sure  they  will  find  the 
satisfaction  and  conviction  which  I  found. 
Soon  after  my  election  to  the  Episcopacy,  I 
was  asked  to  give  an  after-dinner  speech  at 
a  large  gathering  in  St.  Louis.  I  had  gone 
to  the  meeting  with  the  usual  round  of  pleas- 
antries in  my  mind  and  a  purpose  to  make 
a  conventional  speech  of  that  sort.  But  my 
mind  was  ill  at  ease,  and  I  thought  of  the 
opportunity  and  of  my  duty.  All  at  once  it 
occurred  to  me  that  the  best  thing  I  could  do 
would  be  to  turn  entirely  away  from  such  a 
line  of  thought  and  give  my  own  Christian 
experience.  When  my  turn  came,  that  was 
the  thing  I  did.  It  was  a  great  comfort  to  my 
own  heart,  and  I  have  reason  to  believe  that 
it  was  a  blessing  to  others,  and  I  shall  be  glad 
to  send  my  message  out  as  widely  as  pos- 
sible." 

He  then  told  me  where  I  could  find  a  re- 
port of  his  address,  and  what  I  give  now  is 
his  experience  as  he  has  spoken  and  written 
it.  As  a  preface  to  his  message,  "  From  the 
Trowel  to  the  Pulpit,"  the  Bishop  says: 
^'  Here  is  my  religious  experience,  as  shaped 
by  the  spirit.    My  heart,  hot  with  love,  lying 

[144] 


A   SKEPTIC'S   CONVERSION 


on  the  anvil  of  the  law  under  the  hammer  of 
the  Word  was  fashioned  amid  the  swinging 
rhythm  of  Methodist  hymns  into  the  likeness 
of  our  Lord.  In  talking  to  wage-earners,  I 
feel  like  the  cross-eyed  teacher  when  a  bad 
boy  vexed  his  soul  till  it  spilled  in  the  stern 
command,  "  Let  the  lad  I  am  looking  at  come 
forward  at  once  " ;  whereupon  thirteen  boys 
rose  and  came  slowly  to  the  front.  If  those 
who  knew  me  as  a  mechanic  would  rise  and 
come  out  on  the  Lord's  side,  how  glad  I  would 
be.  I  helped  build  Chicago  after  the  fire, 
worked  on  the  Palmer  House  and  Madison 
Block  and  others;  also  in  Philadelphia  and 
St.  Louis  I  am  known  among  the  dinner-pail 
brigade.  My  story  herein  is  not  a  new  one, 
but  it  is  an  authentic  one.  Love's  tale  was 
told  under  the  palms,  in  the  purple  dusk  of 
Eden,  yet  every  twilight  it  is  retold,  as  new 
now  as  then.  The  miners  of  '49  hid  the 
golden  grains  cradled  from  the  gravel  of  El- 
dorado in  queer  places;  fit  receptacles  were 
few.  Even  a  wrinkled  boot-leg  often  held  a 
store  of  yellow  dust.  He  who  reads  will  find 
this  story  full  of  the  precious  "  truth  as  it  is 
in  Jesus." 

[145] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


'^  I  was  reared  in  a  Presbyterian  family. 
My  parents  were  very  careful  about  my  re- 
ligious education,  and  sought  to  bring  me  up 
in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord. 
It  became  such  a  strong  habit  with  me  to  say 
my  prayers  before  going  to  bed,  that  even 
after  I  became  an  infidel  I  could  not  shake 
off  the  practise.  I  accepted  without  question 
the  faith  of  my  father  and  mother,  but  had 
no  personal  experience  to  confirm  it.  When 
death  took  them  both  from  me  and  I  was  left 
head  of  a  household  of  little  children,  while 
only  a  boy  in  years,  my  hereditary  religion 
was  too  weak  to  bear  the  strain.  This  was 
the  first  great  calamity  of  my  life,  and  had  a 
marked  effect  both  upon  myself  and  upon  my 
brother,  who  was  four  years  my  junior.  It 
made  us  both  very  thoughtful,  but  the  result 
of  our  meditations  was  decidedly  different. 
My  brother's  heart  was  softened,  and  his 
thoughts  turned  toward  religion,  but  I  be- 
came rebellious  and  was  soon  plunged  in 
skepticism.  I  grew  rapidly  in  self-conceit 
and  soon  imagined  myself  a  youth  of  unusual 
discernment.  I  fortified  myself  with  the  ar- 
guments of  Tom  Paine,  and  succeeded  pretty 

[146] 


A   SKEPTIC'S   CONVERSION 


well  in  persuading  myself  that  religion  was  a 
humbug.  I  lapsed  into  blank  atheism  for  a 
time,  and  declared  that  a  God  who  would  rob 
a  poor,  helpless  family  of  its  natural  sup- 
port was  no  God  at  all.  In  bitterness  I  re- 
nounced all  my  mother's  teachings  and  de- 
nounced as  hypocrites  or  deluded  fools  all 
who  worshipped  my  father's  Savior.  For 
years  I  scoffed  at  the  Bible,  scorned  the 
Church,  and  tried  to  hinder  others  in  the  way 
of  life.  I  was  utterly  miserable  in  my  soul, 
even  while  uttering  my  Pharisaic  boasts  that 
I  was  morally  clean  and  far  superior  to  the 
weak  Christians  whose  limitations  and  de- 
fects I  decried.  Shame  flushes  my  face  as  I 
recall  my  mean  censure  of  struggling  church 
members,  and  a  sinking  sense  of  my  igno- 
rance and  cruel  misjudgment  of  humble  folk 
far  better  than  myself  comes  over  me  as  I 
think  of  it.  Oh,  the  spiritual  tragedies  all 
around  us !  Oh,  the  pitiful  struggles  unseen 
by  us  in  the  hearts  of  those  we  meet !  Good 
people  prayed  for  me  all  this  time,  but  I  re- 
buffed all  efforts  to  lead  me  aright,  and  glo- 
ried in  my  godlessness,  but  His  loving-kind- 
nees  endureth  forever.    Slowly  I  was  forced 

[147] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


out  of  my  atheism  by  the  proofs  of  design  in 
Nature,  and  became  a  Deist.  I  fell  under 
the  spell  of  Thomas  Paine.  I  carried  his 
book  '  The  Age  of  Reason '  in  my  pocket,  and 
was  ready  for  a  debate  with  anyone.  Work- 
ing as  a  bricklayer,  I  infected  my  fellow- 
toilers  with  infidelity  and  in  our  boarding- 
houses  was  the  leader  in  spreading  the 
poison  of  doubt  and  denial.  When  the  light 
broke  on  my  darkened  reason  my  first  strong 
cry  in  prayer  was  that  I  might  undo  this  evil, 
and  bring  as  many  into  the  Kingdom  as  I  had 
turned  away  from  the  gates,  and  to  this  day, 
I  beseech  the  Lord  to  nullify  my  unholy  in- 
fluence and  cancel  all  the  harm  I  did  to  my 
young  companions  in  those  black  days  when 
Satan  led  me  captive  at  his  will. 

"Depths  of  mercy,  can  there  be 
Mercy  still  reserved  for  me?'' 

Soon  after  father's  death,  my  brother  was 
converted  in  a  Methodist  revival,  and  I  was 
enraged  over  it  almost  to  frenzy.  Busybod- 
ies  came  to  me  with  exaggerated  accounts  of 
the  meetings  my  brother  had  been  attending, 

[148] 


A  SKEPTIC'S   CONVERSION 


and  made  me  believe  that  everything  accom- 
plished there  was  the  result  of  an  over- 
wrought excitement.  I  didn't  believe  in  any- 
thing of  the  kind,  and  was  indignant  that  my 
brother's  fears  had  been  worked  upon  until 
the  poor  boy  had  been  induced  to  regard  him- 
self as  a  great  sinner.  I  reasoned  that  his 
mind  was  disturbed  and  probably  somewhat 
out  of  balance  from  having  brooded  so  much 
over  father's  death,  and  I  thought  that  relig- 
ious fanatics  had  taken  advantage  of  his  con- 
dition to  produce  the  sad  effect  which  I  wit- 
nessed in  him.  His  old-time  cheerfulness  and 
buoyancy  of  spirit  was  all  gone,  and  he  had 
suddenly  become  extremely  sober  and 
thoughtful.  I  watched  him  closely,  and  daily 
grew  more  and  more  alarmed  at  his  condi- 
tion. I  felt  sure  the  boy  was  going  crazy,  and 
felt  it  my  duty,  as  the  natural  head  of  the 
family,  to  do  all  I  could  to  save  him.  I  there- 
fore had  a  brotherly  talk  with  him  on  the  sub- 
ject, freely  confest  my  fears,  and  told  him 
that  he  must  not  attend  any  more  of  the  meet- 
ings. He  replied  in  a  very  meek  spirit,  that 
he  was  ready  to  obey  me  in  all  things  except 
in  matters  of  conscience  which  concerned  the 

[149] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE   GLEAM 


safety  of  the  soul,  but  in  these  he  did  not 
think  I  had  any  right  to  interfere.  He 
therefore  continued  to  go  to  the  meetings,  in 
spite  of  my  protest.  At  this  stage  of  the 
Christian  experience,  he  fell  into  the  habit 
of  putting  a  too-literal  construction  upon 
scriptural  matters,  such  as,  for  instance,  re- 
tiring to  an  actual  closet  and  closing  the  door 
whenever  he  wanted  to  pray. 

At  that  time  we  were  both  apprentices, 
learning  our  trades,  he  in  a  printing-office, 
and  I  upon  the  scafTold  of  a  bricklayer.  He 
would  come  home  in  the  evening  from  his 
work,  wash  and  dress  himself,  and  then  after 
supper  set  out  for  the  church.  One  evening 
I  got  permission  from  my  boss  to  quit  at  five 
o'clock.  That  night  I  kept  my  brother  at 
home  from  the  meeting  by  sheer  force.  The 
next  night  I  again  quit  at  five  o'clock,  but 
that  evening  he  did  not  come  home !  He  re- 
mained at  the  printing-office,  without  his 
supper,  and  went  to  church  in  his  every-day 
clothes.  I  can't  tell  you  how  devilish  and  un- 
comfortable I  felt  in  my  mind  all  that  even- 
ing. I  began  to  be  almost  angry  with  my 
poor   brother.      The   hours    dragged   along 

[150] 


A   SKEPTIC'S   CONVERSION 


slowly,  and  after  what  seemed  a  very  long 
while  my  brother  came  home  from  the  meet- 
ing. I  then  took  him  into  our  room,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  talk  to  him  in  a  very  stern  and  dig- 
nified manner.  I  said,  "  You  have  defied  my 
authority  and  refused  to  obey  me,  and  now 
you  must  suffer  for  it.  I  cannot  permit  you 
to  indulge  in  such  gross  insubordination 
without  punishment,  and  I  must  therefore  en- 
force my  control  over  you  by  giving  you  a 
thrashing."  And  I  did.  I  gave  him  a  hard 
drubbing,  but  he  did  not  even  raise  his  hand 
in  remonstrance.  It  was  a  hard  thing  for 
me  to  do,  and  I  am  satisfied  that  every  lick 
I  struck  him  hurt  me  a  great  deal  more  than 
it  did  him.  It  was  only  through  the  strong 
sense  of  duty  that  seemed  to  rest  upon  me 
that  I  was  able  to  do  it.  After  the  whipping, 
we  went  silently  to  bed,  but  I  could  not  sleep. 
My  thoughts  troubled  me  a  great  deal,  and 
my  conscience  upbraided  me  for  what  I  had 
done.  I  couldn't  understand  why  my  brother 
had  behaved  so  patiently.  I  knew  that  I 
would  have  acted  quite  differently  had  I  been 
in  his  place.  After  a  while  my  brother, 
thinking  I  was  asleep,  crept  softly  from  the 

[151] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


bed,  and  went  to  a  large  closet  which  he  had 
been  using  for  his  devotions,  and,  closing  the 
door  he  lifted  up  his  voice  in  soft  but  dis- 
tinctly audible  supplication  for  me.  I  could 
hear  every  word  of  his  prayer,  and  it  was  so 
full  of  touching  earnestness  and  uncomplain- 
ing submission  to  the  will  of  God  that  it 
melted  my  heart,  and  I  resolved  never  to  put 
another  straw  in  the  way  of  his  being  a 
Christian.  He  talked  to  the  Lord  as  tho  He 
was  right  there  in  the  closet  with  him,  and 
prayed  that  He  would  have  mercy  upon  me. 
He  said  that  I  did  not  mean  to  do  anything 
wrong  in  trying  to  prevent  him  from  going 
to  church,  but  that  I  had  done  what  I  had 
because  I  thought  it  was  right  and  best. 
He  prayed  that  God  would  open  my  eyes 
so  that  I  might  see  what  I  really  had 
been  doing,  repent  and  be  forgiven.  A 
long  time  he  communed  with  his  Heavenly 
Father  in  that  closet,  and  then  quietly  re- 
turning to  bed  he  soon  sank  into  peaceful 
sleep.  It  was  a  long  time  before  I  could  join 
him  in  the  land  of  dreams.  I  have  never  yet 
told  my  brother  that  I  overheard  his  prayer 
for  me,  and  the  effect  it  had  upon  my  after 

[152] 


A   SKEPTIC'S   CONVERSION 


conduct  toward  him.    He,  too,  is  now  preach- 
ing the  blest  Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God. 

But  altho  my  brother's  prayer  that  night 
touched  my  heart,  I  was  not  converted  for 
several  years  afterward.  I  continued  to 
glory  in  unbelief,  and  found  delight  in  get- 
ting the  best  of  weak-kneed  Christians  in 
argument.  At  the  places  where  I  boarded  I 
always  had  a  good  deal  to  say  against  Chris- 
tians, and  must  have  caused  a  good  many 
heart-pangs  to  such  Christians  as  were 
obliged  to  listen  to  me.  "When  Chicago  was 
laid  in  ashes  I  was  among  those  who  went 
there  to  help  rebuild  the  destroyed  city.  I 
often  went  to  church,  but  it  was  only  to  hear 
men  of  intellect  and  known  ability.  I  was 
never  at  any  time  a  dissipated  or  openly  im- 
moral man.  In  fact,  I  prided  myself  upon 
this  fact,  and  used  to  boast  of  it  in  a  most 
vainglorious  manner.  ^^  Look  at  me,"  I  would 
say ;  "  I  make  no  pretensions  to  being  good, 
and  yet  I  am  head  and  shoulders  higher  than 
a  good  many  of  your  so-called  Christians.  I 
never  drink.  I  never  swear.  I  never  lie.  I 
never  cheat.  I  behave  myself  and  pay  my 
debts.    That's  what  I  do.    Why  don't  all  you 

[153] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


Christians  do  that  ?  "  And  then  I  would  strut 
around  like  a  peacock,  with  my  head  so  high 
I  couldn't  see  that  my  feet  were  very  black. 
One  day  I  went  into  a  tent  where  a  mission 
worker  was  holding  forth,  and  responding 
to  a  challenge  which  he  threw  out,  I  openly 
contradicted  him,  and  brought  upon  him  such 
confusion  from  the  arguments  I  advanced, 
that  he  had  to  close  his  meeting. 

Time  passed  on  and  I  at  length  found  my- 
self in  St.  Louis.  I  promised  a  friend,  with 
whom  I  had  had  a  good  many  controversies 
on  religion,  that  I  would  attend  the  first  re- 
vival I  heard  of  every  night,  for  at  least  a 
week,  including  Sunday.  One  cold  Febru- 
ary night  in  1877,  as  I  passed  First  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  South,  on  Wash- 
ington Avenue,  near  Eighth  Street,  I  heard 
singing  and  went  in.  There  was  a  revival 
service  going  on  and  only  about  fifty  people 
present.  The  pastor  of  the  church  was  Dr. 
Finney,  but  Dr.  Bushong,  of  Central  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  of  the  same  city,  hap- 
pened to  be  there,  and  Dr.  Finney  asked  him 
to  preach.  He  consented  to  do  so,  and  as  I 
sat  listening  to  this  stranger,  a  curious  sen- 

[154] 


A   SKEPTIC'S   CONVERSION 


sation  crept  over  me.  I  had  heard  many 
sermons,  but  this  one  was  addrest  to  me. 
The  Holy  Spirit  had  given  the  speaker  a  map 
of  my  wanderings,  and  he  swiftly  opened  my 
stubborn  mind.  For  the  first  time  I  saw  sin 
as  it  is,  and  the  sight  shook  me  like  an  aspen. 
When  he  presented  Christ  to  us,  tears  wet 
my  face  and  divine  love  gloried  within  me. 
A  man  who  knew  me,  and  sat  near  said,  "  Go 
to  the  altar,"  but  the  mood  of  rebellion  was 
dominant,  and  I  whispered,  "  No."  After  re- 
peated calls  I  was  still  rebellious,  and  as  the 
congregation  went  out  my  friend  said,  "  Come 
up  and  meet  the  preacher."  I  did  so.  He 
noticed  my  agitation  and  asked  if  he  could 
help  me.  I  said,  "  I  would  like  to  talk  with 
you."  He  said,  "  Come  to  my  study  at  three 
P.M.  to-morrow." 

I  was  there  and  we  two  discust  the  prob- 
lems of  salvation  for  a  long  time.  As  the 
short  winter  day  closed  and  darkness  crept 
into  the  room,  he  rose  and  said,  "  How  do  you 
feel  now?"  I  said,  "  Doctor,  I  feel  worse  than 
when  I  came  here."  He  had  allowed  me  to 
use  my  familiar  arguments  and  I  had  talked 
myself  back  into  my  bewildered  and  muti- 

[155] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


nous  frame  of  mind.  I  said  sadly,  "  There  is 
no  hope  for  me."  He  said,  "  Have  I  failed, 
then?  "  I  said,  "  You  have."  Serenely  he  re- 
plied, "  Very  well,  I  have  a  Friend  who  never 
fails  in  a  case  like  this."  I  thought  he  in- 
tended to  send  me  to  another  man  and  said, 
"  AVhere  is  he  1 "  He  said,  "  He  is  here ;  kneel 
down  with  me."  I  did  so,  and  in  one  moment 
realized  I  had  lost  my  battle  and  was  in  an- 
other sphere  of  teaching.  I  could  not  speak, 
or  make  reply,  quote  scriptural  difficulties, 
or  recite  shortcomings  of  others.  I  could 
only  listen,  and  oh  how  he  pleaded  for  the 
sinner,  and  entreated  God  to  help  me,  and 
when  I  began  to  pray,  too,  the  Friend  came 
into  the  twilight  place  where  we  bowed  and 
both  were  deeply  affected.  When  we  rose  he 
said,  "  Are  you  saved?  "  I  said,  "  No,  sir,  but 
I  must  go  farther  in  this  matter.  Will  you 
be  at  the  church  to-night?  "  He  said,  "  I  will 
be  there  if  you  attend."  He  was  there,  and 
as  I  recall  the  scene,  he  preached  that  even- 
ing. Dr.  Cunningham  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  South,  was  present  and  thinks 
he  preached  the  sermon.    This  may  be,  as,  my 

[156] 


A  SKEPTIC'S   CONVERSION 


mind  being  highly  wrought  up,  I  may  have 
forgotten.  It  is  possible  both  men  spoke  that 
night  as  it  was  the  custom  then  for  one  to 
preach  and  another  to  exhort  after  him.  At 
any  rate,  Dr.  Cunningham  was  there  and  well 
remembers  all  the  facts.  God  bless  them  both 
for  their  aid  to  me !  When  the  call  for  peni- 
tents was  made  I  was  deeply  convicted,  yet 
in  stiffnecked  defiance,  I  refused  to  go ;  I  had 
often  ridiculed  the  "  altar "  and  would  not 
surrender.  I  was  violently  exercised,  a  psy- 
chological storm  raged  within,  my  deepest 
nature  seemed  rent  and  torn.  I  held  fast  to 
the  seat  and  said,  "  If  I  get  out  to  the  street 
I  will  keep  away  from  this  place."  Thus  I 
struggled  pale  and  trembling,  until  the 
preacher  raised  his  hands  for  the  benediction. 
Then  I  heard  a  voice  saying,  "  Young  man, 
if  you  leave  this  place  unsaved,  you  are  for- 
ever lost."  Then  the  flood  of  pent-up  feeling 
burst  the  dike,  and  I  ran  to  the  chancel  and 
fell  prone.  I  recall  nothing  for  some  mo- 
ments, but  soon  heard  above  my  sobs  the 
sweet  old  hymn, 


'Come  to  Jesus  just  now." 
[157] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


A  mountain  of  guilt  prest  me  to  the  floor. 
I  could  scarcely  live;  my  spirit  seemed  to 
rive  my  very  flesh;  with  laboring  breath  I 
prayed  the  Deist^s  invocation,  "  0  God,  help 
me !  "  A  saintly,  white-haired  woman  heard 
my  plea,  and  divined  my  difficulty,  which  was 
to  accept  Christ  as  Lord  and  Savior.  She 
said  to  me,  "You  don't  pray  right,  young 
man.  God  can  never  hear  you  while  you 
pray  that  way.  Pray  this  way  and  God  will 
hear  you :  Lord,  help  me  for  Jesus'  sake ! '' 
I  did  it,  and  on  the  word  the  mountain  fled 
away  and  a  sea  of  heavenly  love  swept  over 
me.  I,  even  I,  was  pardoned,  reborn, 
adopted.  I  saw  the  Father's  face  over  me,  I 
knew  the  Father's  arms  under  me,  I  felt  the 
Father's  heart  against  mine.  All  the  world 
seemed  new  and  all  the  dear  ones  round  me 
rejoiced  as  with  streaming  eyes  I  tried  to  tell 
in  my  first  stammering  rapture  what  a  glori- 
ous Eedeemer  I  had  found.  I  slept  but  little 
for  joy  that  night,  and  the  next  morning  I 
preached  my  first  sermon  in  my  boarding- 
house,  while  we  waited  in  the  sitting-room 
for  the  breakfast-bell.  I  said  to  the  men  who 
knew  me  as  foremost  in  opposition  to  the 

[158] 


A  SKEPTIC'S  CONVERSION 


Gospel,  ''  Friends,  you  know  my  past,  how 
outspoken  I  was  against  religion.  Now  I  am 
a  Christian,  converted  last  night,  and  re- 
solved to  serve  Jesus  with  a  glad  spirit  and 
obedient  will.  I  hope  I  have  your  good 
wishes,  and  that  you  will  go  with  me  on  the 
heavenly  way."  Some  wished  me  well  and 
shook  my  hand  fervently,  some  scoffed  at  me, 
even  as  I  prayed  for  them.  Then  I  tasted  the 
bitterness  I  had  given  others,  and  thus  began 
the  pilgrimage  of  one  who  goes  "  sorrowful, 
yet  always  rejoicing." 

In  a  few  days  after  my  conversion  it  began 
to  look  to  me  as  tho  I  would  have  to  give  up 
all  my  cherished  plans  for  life.  A  short  time 
before  the  way  had  opened  for  me  to  begin 

the  study  of  law.    Judge ,  who  had  heard 

me  speak  a  time  or  so,  had  become  interested 
in  me,  and  made  me  an  offer  to  come  into  his 
office  and  read  law,  and  this  thought  just  then 
was  the  day-star  of  my  life.  Already  fancy 
was  busy  in  constructing  some  very  commo- 
dious and  highly  ornamental  aerial  castles 
for  future  occupancy.  But  one  night,  when 
I  was  talking  in  the  church,  the  old  lady  who 
had  taught  me  how  to  pray,  came  to  me  as  I 

11  [159] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE   GLEAM 


sat  down,  and  taking  me  by  tlie  hand  said  im- 
pressively, as  she  looked  me  straight  in  the 
eyes :  "  The  Lord  wants  you  in  the  ministry. 
He  calls  you  for  a  preacher." 

This  came  to  me  almost  like  a  clap  of  thun- 
der, altho  faint  thoughts  of  that  kind  had 
already  come  to  me,  tho  I  had  hardly 
dared  to  entertain  them.  The  remark  of  the 
old  lady  made  me  think  on  the  subject  more 
deeply  than  I  wanted  to.  It  seemed  a  great 
cross  to  give  up  my  cherished  plans  to  go 
into  the  ministry ;  I  tried  to  persuade  myself 
that  I  had  no  gifts  for  the  calling,  and  would 
be  sure  to  make  a  failure  in  it,  but  I  couldn't 
drive  the  subject  from  my  mind.  It  would 
keep  coming  up,  in  spite  of  all  I  could  do  to 
keep  it  out.  In  going  home  from  church  one 
night,  I  found  myself  saying  that  the  ques- 
tion must  be  settled.  Just  then  I  was  in  front 
of  the  Polytechnic  Institute  building,  on 
Seventh  and  Chestnut  streets.  It  was  a 
building  with  large  stone  columns  along  the 
front,  somewhat  close  together.  Between 
the  columns  and  in  front  of  them  the  street- 
lights shone  brilliantly,  but  behind  them  it 
was  very  dark.    Going  up  and  concealing  my- 

[160] 


A  SKEPTIC'S   CONVERSION 


self  in  the  darkness,  I  kneeled  down  on  the 
cold  stone,  and  proceeded  to  consecrate  my- 
self to  God  in  a  fuller  sense  than  I  had  yet 
done.  The  last  barrier  of  resistance  was 
overcome,  and  I  said,  "  Lord,  I  am  yours  for 
whatever  you  will.  If  you  want  me  to  preach 
I'll  do  it  the  best  I  can,  if  you'll  only  open  the 
way.''  A  sweet  peace  came  into  my  soul,  and 
I  had  the  assurance  that  God  was  going  to 
put  me  in  the  Christian  ministry.  I  don't 
think  I  was  ever  happier  in  my  life.  Instead 
of  finding  it  a  cross  to  give  up  my  cherished 
plan  of  becoming  a  lawyer,  it  suddenly  be- 
came a  joy  for  me  to  do  so.  Very  soon  after- 
ward the  way  opened  for  me  to  go  to  school 
and  prepare  myself  for  the  pulpit,  and  in  due 
course  of  time  I  found  myself  in  the  ministry. 
I  never  expected  to  stand  before  large  audi- 
ences. All  I  wanted  was  to  be  where  God 
would  have  me  to  be,  and  I  felt  that  the  poor- 
est circuit  was  more  than  good  enough  for 
me.  It  has  pleased  God  to  cast  my  lines  in 
pleasant  places,  and  to  continually  make  His 
face  shine  upon  me,  and  for  all  His  great 
mercies  I  hope  I  shall  never  cease  to  be 
grateful.    My  chief  desire  now  is  to  stand  by 

[161] 


FOLLOWERS   OF   THE  GLEAM 


the  well  of  the  water  of  life,  as  in  boyhood 
I  stood  by  the  wayside  spring  where  the 
ferny  runnel  broidered  the  dusty  road,  and 
cool  catalpas  showed  their  blossoms  in  the 
pool,  offering  a  cup  of  the  refreshing  water 
to  those  who  came  that  way. 

I  give  this  simple  recital  of  the  old,  old 
story,  hoping  to  hear  some  one  say,  "He 
seems  sincere,  I  will  try  that  religion  my- 
self";  then  looking  to  Jesus  cry,  "Lord,  I 
believe ;  help  thou  mine  unbelief." 


[162] 


VII 

DANIEL  WEBSTER  AND 
JOHN  COLBY'S  CONVERSION 


The  supreme  danger  of  the  Christian  religion  comes  not 
from  outside  but  from  within.  No  attack  of  a  merely  imag- 
inative materialism  could  so  undermine  and  totter  this 
heavenly  edifice  as  the  inclination  of  those  inside  to  sponge 
away  from  its  internal  walls  the  ancient  testimony  of  a 
divine  origin.  Christianity  is  either  the  first  essential  of 
life  or  it  is  a  poor  philosophy.  It  is  either  a  Revelation  or 
a  Theory.  It  is  either  the  Spirit  of  God  or  the  dream  of 
men.     It  is  either  superhuman  or  a  mere  guess. 

"  Souls  in  Action  " — Bighie. 

In  a  general  way,  then,  and,  on  the  whole,  our  abandon- 
ment of  theological  criteria  and  our  testing  of  religion  by 
practical  common  sense  and  the  empirical  method  leave  it 
in  possession  of  its  towering  place  in  history.  Economically, 
the  saintly  group  of  qualities  is  indispensable  to  the  world's 
welfare.  Professor  Ja/mes. 


DANIEL  WEBSTER 


VII 

DANIEL   WEBSTEE   AND 
JOHN   COLBY'S   CONVERSION 

The  friendship  between  Daniel  Webster 
and  Peter  Harvey  was  most  interesting  and 
intimate.  Harvey's  devotion  to  Webster  was 
touching  in  the  extreme.  He  was  a  Boswell 
to  Webster's  Johnson,  but  he  was  something 
more.  While  he  did  not  lay  claim  to  great 
intellectual  abilities  which  might  in  any  wise 
match  those  of  Mr.  Webster,  he  was  his  faith- 
ful friend  to  the  very  last,  and  Webster 
leaned  upon  him  and  gave  him  every  mark  of 
personal  affection.  In  Harvey's  "  Eeminis- 
cences  of  Daniel  Webster,"  there  is  a  chapter 
on  Webster's  religious  thoughts  and  feelings, 
which  to  me  is  most  interesting  and  touching. 
We  may  be  sure  that  we  have  here  the  real 
Webster.  With  all  the  restraint  thrown  off 
in  the  intimacy  of  the  most  fraternal  rela- 
tions, he  talks  out  of  his  heart. 

By  the  kindness  of  Little,  Brown  &  Com- 

[165] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


pany,  the  publishers  of  that  interesting  book, 
I  am  permitted  to  use  a  part  of  the  chapter 
to  which  I  have  referred.  It  serves  a  double 
purpose.  It  gives  an  account  of  the  conver- 
sation of  a  man  who  had  been  a  swearing, 
reckless,  godless  farmer,  known  as,  in  some 
respects,  the  wickedest  man  in  town;  and  it 
also  gives  the  testimony  of  Daniel  Webster 
concerning  the  reality  of  that  change.  Dan- 
iel Webster  was  accustomed  to  examining 
witnesses.  He  knew  an  argument  when  he 
saw  it  or  heard  it,  and  both  the  experience 
and  the  testimony  are  to  me  most  impressive. 
The  account,  as  Mr.  Harvey  gives  it,  is  as 
follows : 

The  year  before  Mr.  Webster  died,  in  the 
autumn  of  1851,  I  was  spending  a  few  weeks 
with  him  at  his  place  in  Franklin.  One  pleas- 
ant morning  he  said  to  me : 

"  I  am  going  to  take  a  drive  up  to  Andover, 
and  I  want  you  to  go  with  me." 

Andover  was  about  ten  miles  from  his 
place  in  Franklin.    He  added : 

"  We  can  start  after  breakfast  and  it  will 
take  us  about  an  hour  and  a  half  or  two  hours 
to  go.    We  shall  only  want  to  stay  there  an 

[166] 


DANIEL  WEBSTER  AND  JOHN  COLBY'S  CONVERSION 

hour  or  so,  and  we  will  return  in  time  for  din- 
ner. When  we  get  into  the  wagon  I  will  tell 
you  whom  I  am  going  to  see." 

The  horse  was  harnessed,  and  we  started 
off.  As  we  rode  along,  Mr.  Webster  had  a 
great  many  reminiscences  called  to  mind  by 
different  objects  that  we  passed.  Such  a 
man  used  to  live  here,  he  would  say,  and  such 
a  man  lived  in  such  a  house,  and  there  I  re- 
member such  a  man  lived ;  and  here  he  him- 
self lived  when  a  boy,  and  there  he  used  to 
pitch  quoits,  and  in  another  place  he  used  to 
play  with  John  Holden's  boys. 

After  Mr.  Webster  had  recounted  various 
pleasing  reminiscences  of  this  kind,  he  said: 

"  Now  I  will  tell  you  the  object  of  this  trip 
to-day.  I  am  going  to  see  a  man  by  the  name 
of  Colby.  John  Colby  is  a  brother-in-law  of 
mine.  He  married  my  oldest  half-sister,  and 
was,  of  course,  a  good  many  years  older  than 
myself, — as  she  was.  I  have  not  seen  him 
for  forty-five  years,  as  near  as  I  can  recollect. 
My  sister,  his  wife,  has  been  dead  many, 
many  years ;  and  any  interest  I  may  have  had 
in  John  Colby  has  all  died  out;  but  I  have 

[167] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE  GLEAM 


learned  some  particulars  about  his  recent  life 
that  interest  me  very  much,  and  I  am  going 
to  see  him.  I  will  tell  you  something  about 
him.  When  I  was  a  lad  at  home,  on  the  farm, 
John  Colby  was  a  smart,  driving,  trading, 
swearing  yeoman,  money-loving  and  money- 
getting.  In  that  rather  rude  period,  when 
there  were  not  many  distinctions  in  society, 
when  one  man  was  about  as  good  as  another, 
and  when  there  were  very  few  educated  per- 
sons, he  was  considered  a  very  smart,  active 
man.  I  remember  him,  however,  with  a  sort 
of  terror  and  shudder.  He  would  pick  me 
up  when  I  was  a  little  fellow,  throw  me 
astride  of  a  horse  bareback,  and  send  the 
horse  to  the  brook.  The  horse  would  gallop, 
and  I  had  to  hold  on  to  his  mane  to  keep  from 
being  pitched  into  the  river.  Colby  was  a 
reckless,  wild,  harum-scarum  daredevil  sort 
of  a  fellow.  Well,  John  Colby  married 
my  oldest  half-sister.  She  was  a  relig- 
ious, good  woman;  but  beaux  were  not 
plenty,  and  John  Colby  was  a  fine-looking 
man.  His  personal  habits  were  good  enough, 
laying  aside  his  recklessness;  he  was  not 
a  drinking  man,  and  he  was,  as  the  world 

[168] 


DANIEL  WEBSTER  AND  JOHN  COLBY»S  CONVERSION 

goes,  a  thrifty  man.  Any  of  the  girls  in  town 
would  have  married  John  Colby.  After  he 
married  my  sister,  I  went  away  to  college, 
and  lost  sight  of  him.  Finally,  he  went  up  to 
Andover  and  bought  a  farm;  and  the  only 
recollection  I  have  about  him  after  that  is, 
that  he  was  called,  I  think,  the  wickedest  man 
in  the  neighborhood,  so  far  as  swearing  and 
impiety  went.  I  used  to  wonder  how  my  sis- 
ter could  marry  so  profane  a  man  as  John 
Colby.  I  think  she  herself  was  very  much 
shocked ;  and  I  know  her  father  was,  who  was 
a  religious  man.  And  still  Colby  was  consid- 
ered ^  a  good  catch.'  I  came  home  from  col- 
lege during  vacation,  and  used  to  hear  of  him 
occasionally ;  but  after  a  few  years — perhaps 
five  or  six  years — my  sister  died,  and  then, 
of  course,  all  the  interest  that  any  of  us  had 
in  John  Colby  pretty  much  ceased.  I  believe 
she  left  a  child — I  think  a  daughter — who 
grew  up  and  was  married,  and  also  left  a 
child. 

"  Now  I  will  give  you  the  reason  why  I  am 
going  up  to-day  to  see  this  John  Colby.  I 
have  been  told  by  persons  who  know,  that, 
within  a  few  years,  he  has  become  a  convert 

[169] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


to  the  Christian  religion,  and  has  met  with 
that  mysterious  change  which  we  call  a 
change  of  heart;  in  other  words,  he  has  be- 
come a  constant,  praying  Christian.  This 
has  given  me  a  very  strong  desire  to  have  a 
personal  interview  with  him,  and  to  hear 
with  my  own  ears  his  account  of  this  change. 
For,  humanly  speaking,  I  should  have  said 
that  his  was  about  as  hopeless  a  case  for 
conversion  as  I  could  well  conceive.  He 
won't  know  me,  and  I  shall  not  know  him; 
and  I  don't  intend  to  make  myself  known  at 
first." 

We  drove  on,  and  reached  the  village — a 
little,  quiet  place,  one  street  running  through 
it,  a  few  houses  scattered  along  here  and 
there,  with  a  country  store,  a  tavern,  and  a 
post-office.  As  we  drove  into  this  quiet, 
peaceable  little  hamlet  at  midday,  with  hard- 
ly a  sign  of  life  noticeable,  Mr.  Webster  ac- 
costed a  lad  in  the  street,  and  asked  where 
John  Colby  lived. 

"  That  is  John  Colby's  house,"  said  he, 
pointing  to  a  very  comfortable  two-story 
house,  with  a  green  lawn  running  down  to 
the  road.     We  drove  along  toward  it,  and 

[170] 


DANIEL  WEBSTER  AND  JOHN  COLBY'S  CONVERSION 

a  little  before  we  reached  it,  making  our 
horse  secure,  we  left  the  wagon  and  pro- 
ceeded to  the  house  on  foot.  Instead  of  steps 
leading  to  it,  there  were  little  flagstones  laid 
in  front  of  the  door ;  and  you  could  pass  right 
into  the  house  without  having  to  step  up. 
The  door  was  open.  There  was  no  occasion 
to  knock,  because,  as  we  approached  the  door, 
the  inmates  of  the  room  could  see  us.  Sitting 
in  the  middle  of  that  room  was  a  striking  fig- 
ure, who  proved  to  be  John  Colby.  He  sat 
facing  the  door,  in  a  very  comfortably  fur- 
nished farmhouse  room,  with  a  little  table, 
or  what  would  perhaps  be  called  a  light- 
stand,  before  him.  Upon  it  was  a  large,  old- 
fashioned  Scott's  Family  Bible,  in  very  large 
print,  and  of  course  a  heavy  volume.  It  lay 
open,  and  he  had  evidently  been  reading  it 
attentively.  As  we  entered,  he  took  off  his 
spectacles  and  laid  them  upon  the  page  of 
the  Book,  and  looked  up  at  us  as  we  ap- 
proached, Mr.  Webster  in  front.  He  was  a 
man,  I  should  think,  over  six  feet  in  height, 
and  he  retained  in  a  wonderful  degree  his 
erect  and  manly  form,  altho  he  was  eighty- 
five  or  six  years  old.    His  frame  was  that 

[171] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


of  a  once  powerful,  athletic  man.  His  head 
was  covered  with  very  thick,  bushy  hair,  and 
it  was  white  as  wool,  which  added  very 
much  to  the  picturesqueness  of  his  appear- 
ance. As  I  looked  in  at  the  door,  I  thought 
I  never  saw  a  more  striking  figure.  He 
straightened  himself  up,  but  said  nothing  un- 
til just  as  we  appeared  at  the  door,  when  he 
greeted  us  with — "  Walk  in,  gentlemen." 

He  then  spoke  to  his  grandchild  to  give  us 
some  chairs.  The  meeting  was,  I  saw,  a  lit- 
tle awkward,  and  he  looked  very  sharply  at 
us,  as  much  as  to  say,  "  You  are  here,  but  for 
what  I  don't  know:  make  known  your  busi- 
ness."   Mr.  Webster's  first  salutation  was : 

"  This  is  Mr.  Colby,  Mr.  John  Colby,  is  it 
not?" 

"  That  is  my  name,  sir,"  was  the  reply. 

"  I  suppose  you  don't  know  me,"  said  Mr. 
Webster. 

"No,  sir,  I  don't  know  you;  and  I  should 
like  to  know  how  you  know  me." 

"  I  have  seen  you  before,  Mr.  Colby,"  re- 
plied Mr.  Webster. 

"  Seen  me  before !  "  said  he ;  "  pray,  when 
and  where?" 

[172] 


DANIEL  WEBSTER  AND  JOHN  COLBY'S  CONVERSION 

"  Have  you  no  recollection  of  me?  "  asked 
Mr.  Webster. 

"  No,  sir,  not  the  slightest " ;  and  lie  looked 
by  Mr.  Webster  toward  me,  as  if  trying  to 
remember  if  lie  had  seen  me.  Mr.  Webster 
remarked : 

"  I  think  you  have  never  seen  this  gentle- 
man before ;  but  you  have  seen  me." 

Colby  put  the  question  again,  when  and 
where  ? 

"You  married  my  oldest  sister,"  replied 
Mr.  Webster,  calling  her  by  name.  (I  think 
it  was  Susannah.) 

'^  I  married  your  oldest  sister !  "  exclaimed 
Colby;  "  who  are  you?  " 

"  I  am  '  little  Dan,'  "  was  the  reply. 

It  certainly  would  be  impossible  to  describe 
the  expression  of  wonder,  astonishment,  and 
half -incredulity  that  came  over  Colby's  face. 

"  You  Daniel  Webster ! "  said  he ;  and  he 
started  to  rise  from  his  chair.  As  he  did  so, 
he  stammered  out  some  words  of  surprize. 
"  Is  it  possible  that  this  is  the  little  black  lad 
that  used  to  ride  the  horse  to  water?  Well,. 
I  cannot  realize  it !  " 

[173] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


Mr.  Webster  approached  him.  They  em- 
braced each  other ;  and  both  wept. 

"  Is  it  possible,"  said  Mr.  Colby,  when  the 
embarrassment  of  the  first  shock  of  recogni- 
tion was  past,  "  that  you  have  come  up  here 
to  see  me  ?  Is  this  Daniel  ?  Why,  why,"  said 
he,  "I  cannot  believe  my  senses.  Now,  sit 
down.  I  am  glad,  oh,  I  am  so  glad  to  see  yon, 
Daniel !  I  never  expected  to  see  you  again.  I 
don't  know  what  to  say.  I  am  so  glad,"  he 
went  on,  "  that  my  life  has  been  spared  that 
I  might  see  you.  Why,  Daniel,  I  read  about 
you,  and  hear  about  you  in  all  ways ;  some- 
times some  members  of  the  family  come  and 
tell  us  about  you;  and  the  newspapers  tell 
us  a  great  deal  about  you,  too.  Your  name 
seems  to  be  constantly  in  the  newspapers. 
They  say  that  you  are  a  great  man,  that  you 
are  a  famous  man ;  and  you  can't  tell  how  de- 
lighted I  am  when  I  hear  such  things.  But, 
Daniel,  the  time  is  short — ^you  won't  stay 
here  long — I  want  to  ask  you  one  important 
question.  You  may  be  a  great  man :  are  you 
Si  good  man?  Are  you  a  Christian  man?  Do 
you  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ?  That  is  the 
only  question  that  is  worth  asking  or  answer- 

[174] 


DANIEL  WEBSTER  AND  JOHN  COLBY'S  CONVERSION 

ing.  Are  you  a  Christian?  You  know,  Dan- 
iel, what  I  have  been.  I  have  been  one  of  the 
wickedest  of  men.  Your  poor  sister,  who  is 
now  in  heaven,  knows  that.  But  the  spirit 
of  Christ  and  of  Almighty  God  has  come 
down  and  plucked  me  as  a  brand  from  the 
everlasting  burning.  I  am  here  now,  a  mon- 
ument to  His  grace.  Oh,  Daniel,  I  would  not 
give  what  is  contained  within  the  covers  of 
this  Book  for  all  the  honors  that  have  been 
conferred  upon  men  from  the  creation  of  the 
world  until  now.  For  what  good  would  it 
do  1  It  is  all  nothing,  and  less  than  nothing, 
if  you  are  not  a  Christian,  if  you  are  not  re- 
pentant. If  you  do  not  love  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  in  sincerity  and  truth,  all  your  world- 
ly honors  will  sink  to  utter  nothingness.  Are 
you  a  Christian?  Do  you  love  Christ?  You 
have  not  answered  me." 

All  this  was  said  in  the  most  earnest  and 
even  vehement  manner. 

"  John  Colby,"  replied  Mr.  Webster,  "  you 
have  asked  me  a  very  important  question, 
and  one  which  should  not  be  answered  light- 
ly. I  intend  to  give  you  an  answer,  and  one 
that  is  truthful,  or  I  won't  give  you  any.    I 

12  [175] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


hope  tliat  I  am  a  Christian.  I  profess  to  be 
a  Christian.  But,  while  I  say  that,  I  wish 
to  add — and  I  say  it  with  shame  and  confu- 
sion of  face — that  I  am  not  such  a  Christian 
as  I  wish  I  were.  I  have  lived  in  the  world, 
surrounded  by  its  honors  and  temptations; 
and  I  am  afraid,  John  Colby,  that  I  am  not 
BO  good  a  Christian  as  I  ought  to  be.  I  am 
afraid  I  have  not  your  faith  and  your  hopes ; 
but  still,  I  hope  and  trust  that  I  am  a  Chris- 
tian, and  that  the  same  grace  which  has  con- 
verted you,  and  made  you  an  heir  of  salva- 
tion, will  do  the  same  for  me.  I  trust  it ;  and 
I  also  trust,  John  Colby — and  it  won^t  be 
long  before  our  summons  will  come — that  we 
shall  meet  in  a  better  world,  and  meet  those 
who  have  gone  before  us,  whom  we  knew,  and 
who  trusted  in  that  same  divine,  free  grace. 
It  won't  be  long.  You  cannot  tell,  John  Col- 
by, how  much  delight  it  gave  me  to  hear  of 
your  conversion.  The  hearing  of  that  is 
what  has  led  me  here  to-day.  I  came  here 
to  see  with  my  own  eyes,  and  hear  with  my 
own  ears  the  story  from  a  man  that  I  know 
and  remember  well.  What  a  wicked  man  you 
used  to  be !  " 

[176] 


DANIEL  WEBSTER  AND  JOHN  COLBY'S  CONVERSION 

"Oh,  Daniel!"  exclaimed  John  Colby, 
"  you  don't  remember  how  wicked  I  was ;  how 
ungrateful  I  was ;  how  unthankful  I  was !  I 
never  thought  of  God ;  I  never  cared  for  God ; 
I  was  worse  than  the  heathen.  Living  in  a 
Christian  land,  with  the  light  shining  all 
around  me,  and  the  blessings  of  Sabbath 
teachings  everywhere  about  me,  I  was  worse 
than  a  heathen  until  I  was  arrested  by  the 
grace  of  Christ,  and  made  to  see  my  sinful- 
ness, and  to  hear  the  voice  of  my  Savior. 
Now  I  am  only  waiting  to  go  home  to  Him, 
and  to  meet  your  sainted  sister,  my  poor 
wife.  And  I  wish,  Daniel,  that  you  might  be 
a  prayerful  Christian,  and  I  trust  you  are. 
Daniel,"  he  added,  with  deep  earnestness  of 
voice,  "  will  you  pray  with  me?  " 

We  knelt  down  and  Mr.  Webster  offered  a 
most  touching  and  eloquent  prayer.  As  soon 
as  he  had  pronounced  the  "  Amen,"  Mr.  Col- 
by followed  in  a  most  pathetic,  stirring  ap- 
peal to  God.  He  prayed  for  the  family,  for 
me,  and  for  everybody.  Then  we  rose ;  and 
he  seemed  to  feel  a  serene  happiness  in  hav- 
ing thus  joined  his  spirit  with  that  of  Mr. 
Webster  in  prayer. 

[177] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


"Now,"  said  he,  "what  can  we  give  you? 
I  don't  think  we  have  anything  that  we  can 
give  you." 

"Yes,  you  have,"  replied  Mr.  Webster; 
"you  have  something  that  is  just  what  we 
want  to  eat." 

"  What  is  that?  "  asked  Colby. 

"  It  is  some  bread  and  milk,"  said  Mr. 
Webster.  "  I  want  a  bowl  of  bread  and  milk 
for  myself  and  my  friend." 

Very  soon  the  table  was  set,  and  a  white 
cloth  spread  over  it;  some  nice  bread  was 
set  upon  it  and  some  milk  brought,  and  we 
sat  down  to  the  table  and  ate.  Mr.  Webster 
exclaimed  afterward: 

"  Didn't  it  taste  good?  Didn't  it  taste  like 
old  times?" 

The  brothers-in-law  soon  took  an  affection- 
ate leave  of  each  other,  and  we  left.  Mr. 
Webster  could  hardly  restrain  his  tears. 
When  we  got  into  the  wagon  he  began  to 
moralize. 

"  I  should  like,"  said  he,  "  to  know  what 
the  enemies  of  religion  would  say  to  John 
Colby's  conversion.  There  was  a  man  as  un- 
likely, humanly  speaking,  to  become  a  Chris- 
[178] 


DANIEL  WEBSTER  AND  JOHN  COLBY'S  CONVERSION 

tian  as  any  man  I  ever  saw.  He  was  reckless, 
heedless,  impious;  never  attended  church, 
never  experienced  the  good  influence  of  asso- 
ciating with  religious  people.  And  here  he 
has  been  living  on  in  that  reckless  way  until 
he  has  got  to  be  an  old  man ;  until  a  period 
of  life  when  you  naturally  would  not  expect 
his  habits  to  change;  and  yet  he  has  been 
brought  into  the  condition  in  which  we  have 
seen  him  to-day — a  penitent,  trusting,  hum- 
ble believer.  Whatever  people  may  say, 
nothing,"  added  Mr.  Webster,  "  can  convince 
me  that  anything  short  of  the  grace  of  Al- 
mighty God  could  make  such  a  change  as  I, 
with  my  own  eyes,  have  witnessed  in  the  life 
of  John  Colby." 

When  we  got  back  to  Franklin,  in  the  even- 
ing, we  met  John  Taylor  at  the  door.  Mr. 
Webster  called  out  to  him : 

"Well,  John  Taylor,  miracles  happen  in 
these  later  days  as  well  as  in  the  days  of 
old." 

"  What  now,  squire  ?  "  asked  John  Taylor. 

"  Why,  John  Colby  has  become  a  Christian. 
If  that  is  not  a  miracle,  what  is  ?  " 


[179] 


VIII 
THE  CHALLENGE 


Look  after  a  sinner's  gospel,  one  that  brings  you  God 
Himself.  Understand  the  tragic  perils  of  your  sins  and 
think  nothing  strong  enough  for  you  but  a  tragic  salvation. 
Eequire  a  transforming  religion,  not  a  pleasing.  Refuse  to 
sail  in  the  shallows  of  the  sea;  strike  out  into  the  deep 
waters  where  the  surges  roll  heavily,  as  in  God's  majesty, 
and  the  gales  of  the  Spirit  blow.  Man  your  piety  as  a 
great  expedition  against  God's  enemies  and  yours,  and  hope 
for  no  delicate  salvation,  not  to  be  won  by  great  sacrifices 
and  perils.  Bushnell. 

That  is  the  most  urgent  necessity  of  our  day,  a  Church 
of  the  superlative  order  immeasurably  heightened  and  en- 
riched— a  Church  with  wings  as  well  as  feet,  her  dimness 
changed  into  radiance,  her  stammering  changed  into  bold- 
ness, and  presenting  to  the  world  the  spectacle  of  a  per- 
manent marvel  which  will  fascinate  and  allure  the  inquir- 
ing multitude  drawn  together,  not  that  they  might  see 
Jesus  only,  but  Lazarus  also,  whom  He  hath  raised  from 
the  dead.  J.  H.  Jowett. 


VIII 
THE    CHALLENGE 

An  event  which  happened  in  the  early 
years  of  my  ministry,  when  I  was  hardly 
more  than  a  boy,  has  come  back  to  me 
through  the  experiences  of  later  years  with 
gracious  and  reassuring  force.  It  is  possible 
that  I  would  hesitate  now  to  take  such  a  pub- 
lic, spectacular  risk,  and  I  am  not  sure  that 
I  would  advise  another  to  follow  in  my  foot- 
steps. But  all  the  circumstances  that  sur- 
rounded it  made  it  such  a  challenge  to  me 
that  I  did  not  stop  to  measure  what  might 
be  the  possible  outcome.  I  was  in  the  midst 
of  what  was,  up  to  that  time,  the  greatest  re- 
vival I  had  ever  experienced  as  pastor.  Not 
far  from  two  hundred  had  already  professed 
their  purpose  to  lead  a  new  life.  These  peo- 
ple were  from  various  walks  in  life.  Several 
were  students  in  school  and  college.  Some 
were  people  of  wealth  and  position,  and  some 
were  from  the  ranks  of  the  vilest  and  most 

[183] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


abandoned.  A  few  of  these  cases  were  so 
remarkable  as  to  be  the  talk  of  the  street. 
There  the  opinion  seemed  to  differ,  as  to  the 
possibility  and  the  value  of  such  conversions. 
Some  said  such  men  were  too  far  gone  to  be 
saved;  that  what  was  left  was  really  not 
worth  saving.  And  others  said  that  the  pro- 
fession of  Christ  was  a  sham.  I  was  very 
decided  in  my  own  conviction  as  to  the  need 
and  the  power  of  the  grace  of  God.  I  was 
very  sure  that  unless  we  have  a  Gospel  for 
everybody,  we  could  never  be  certain  that  we 
had  a  Gospel  for  any  particular  case.  I  could 
find,  nowhere  in  the  New  Testament,  any 
suggestion  of  a  class  of  incurables.  I  had 
noticed  that  Jesus  seemed  to  have  a  passion 
for  "  hard  cases,"  and  that  that  passion  had 
been  shared  by  those  whom  the  world  ad- 
judged the  most  faithful  followers  of  Him. 
Some  one  has  said  that  in  Wesley's  Journals 
"  every  page  is  bordered  with  a  pale  edge 
of  fire,  the  spiritual  passion  of  the  great 
Apostle's  soul."  It  was  because  John  Wesley 
had  faith  in  the  power  of  God  to  save  unto 
the  uttermost,  that,  by  God's  help,  he  wrought 
such  a  transformation  among  the  English 

[184] 


THE   CHALLENGE 


miners,  that  four  generations  liave  not  blot- 
ted it  out. 

Was  there  ever  a  man  who  shared  the 
yearning  of  his  Master  more  truly  than  Spur- 
geon?  Hear  him  say,  "  Tho  thou  hast  raked 
in  the  very  kennels  of  hell,  yet  if  thou  wilt 
come  to  Christ  and  ask  mercy.  He  will  ab- 
solve thee  from  all  sin."  "  The  next  day," 
writes  Wesley,  "  I  went  to  the  condemned 
felons  in  Newgate  and  offered  them  free  sal- 
vation." There  seemed  to  him  nothing  in- 
congruous in  this,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
depth  of  their  need  made  him  a  supreme 
debtor  unto  them,  until  he  had  brought  what 
he  had  to  offer,  and  what  would  meet  their 
need.  This  incident  of  Wesley  in  Newgate 
leads  me  to  the  story  of  my  challenge. 

It  was  a  Sunday  night  in  a  crowded  serv- 
ice. Every  seat  in  the  auditorium  was  taken 
and  many  were  standing,  filling  all  the  avail- 
able space  in  the  rear  of  the  church.  I  had 
preached  from  the  text :  "  Whosoever  cometh 
unto  me,  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out."  I  was 
giving  an  impassioned  invitation  to  every 
one  to  make  the  supreme  test  for  themselves. 
Several  had  already  risen  and  come  forward 

[185] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


to  the  altar,  when  a  man  with  close-cropped 
hair  stept  out  from  the  mass  of  people  who 
were  standing,  and,  walking  half  way  up  the 
aisle,  stopt  and  addrest  me.  He  seemed  to 
be  perfectly  sober,  but  was  evidently  stirred 
by  deep  emotion.  He  said:  "I  am  just  out 
of  State's  Prison.  I  have  finished  a  sen- 
tence of  several  years.  I  was  guilty  of  all 
that  was  charged  upon  me  and  of  other  things 
which  were  never  found  out.  I  took  all  that 
was  coming  to  me  and  I  did  not  complain. 
I  made  my  bed,  and  it  was  right  that  I  should 
lie  in  it.  I  have  no  vindictiveness  toward 
anybody.  I  am  now  a  free  man.  I  have  a 
good  trade  and  a  fairly  good  education.  I 
can  make  my  way.  I  came  here  out  of  curi- 
osity. I  saw  the  crowd  coming  in,  and  I  fol- 
lowed. I  do  not  know  much  about  religion. 
My  people  were  not  Christian  people;  but  I 
have  often  felt  that  there  must  be  a  different 
kind  of  life  from  what  I  have  lived.  I  have 
envied  people  who  kept  the  laws  and  seemed 
to  be  happy.  And  then,  I  have  felt  within 
me  something  which  I  did  not  understand. 
I  never  went  to  church  as  a  boy,  and  I  won- 
dered what  the  churches  were  for.    I  heard 

[186] 


THE   CHALLENGE 


the  chaplain  in  prison,  but  much  of  the  serv- 
ice was  a  ritual,  which  seemed  to  me  only 
a  matter  of  form.  Something  within  me  has 
been  telling  me  that  I  ought  to  be  a  different 
man — a  good  man.  But  something  else  said : 
^  You  cannot  be  a  good  man,  you  are  a  crim- 
inal. Nobody  will  trust  you ;  nobody  will  be- 
lieve in  you;  nobody  wants  you,  and  God 
does  not  want  you.  You  have  sinned  against 
Him,  and  He  is  done  with  you.'  I  never  felt 
as  I  feel  now.  You  have  been  saying  things 
here  which  are  either  tremendously  true,  or 
terribly  false,  and  the  matter  about  which 
you  talk  is  a  matter  of  life  and  death  to  me 
and  I  must  speak  up.  You  have  been  talking 
about  Someone  who  could  save  people  from 
their  sins.  You  said  He  was  able  to  save  to 
the  uttermost,  and  it  made  no  difference  how 
weak  or  how  wicked  a  man  had  been  if  he 
sincerely  repented;  that  his  sins  would  be 
blotted  out,  and  he  would  love  to  sin  no  more. 
You  said  he  would  know  he  was  forgiven,  and 
the  sense  of  condemnation  and  guilt  would 
be  gone.  Now,  if  you  are  saying  what  you 
do  not  know  to  be  true,  you  ought  to  be 
ashamed.  If  you  are  holding  out  to  a  man 

[187] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


like  me  a  hope,  when  there  is  no  hope,  you 
ought  to  stop  it.  And  if  what  you  say  is  true, 
and  can  be  shown  to  be  true,  every  man  here, 
whether  he  is  a  vile  sinner  like  me,  a  thief 
and  a  reprobate,  or  just  an  ordinary,  godless 
man  ought  to  settle  it  for  himself." 

By  this  time  the  air  was  fairly  electric. 
Those  who  were  standing  prest  up  the  aisles 
a  little  farther,  and  many  who  were  seated 
rose  to  get  a  view  of  this  strange  man, 
while  others  were  leaning  forward  to  catch 
every  word  of  his  thrilling  speech.  Then, 
coming  a  little  nearer  to  me,  the  man 
stretched  out  his  right  arm  with  a  gesture  of 
appeal,  and  said,  with  a  voice  that  was  vi- 
brant with  supprest  emotion :  "  I  want  to 
know,  sir,  whether  you  believe  that  this  re- 
ligion which  you  are  preaching  can  save  a 
man  like  me?  Do  you  think  there  is  any 
chance  for  me?  You  said  that  Jesus  saved 
a  thief  when  He  was  on  the  Cross.  Do  you 
believe  that  Jesus  is  still  alive  and  that  He 
can  save  a  thief  now  ?  "  My  man  stood  there 
in  the  aisle,  his  eyes  fairly  aflame  with  anxi- 
ety, and  his  arm  still  outstretched.  I  did  not 
hesitate  an  instant.    I  leaned  over  the  chan- 

[188] 


THE  CHALLENGE 


eel  rail  and  stretched  out  my  hand  toward 
him.  I  said :  "  My  brother,  I  have  honestly 
declared  a  message  in  which  I  believe.  I  am 
as  much  interested  in  the  truth  of  it  as  you 
are.  I  have  witnessed  the  transformation 
which  the  grace  of  God  has  wrought  in  many 
lives,  and  I  believe  there  is  no  case  so  hard 
that  God  will  not  forgive  a  truly  repentant 
man.  I  cannot  afford  to  preach  a  Gospel  that 
is  not  true,  and  I  will  not.  I  am  ready  to 
make  this  contract  with  you.  If  you  desire  to 
be  saved  from  your  sins,  and  are  willing  to 
pay  the  price,  the  matter  can  be  settled  here 
and  now.  If  you  will  meet  the  conditions 
which  are  laid  down  in  the  Bible,  by  which 
a  man  may  come  to  God,  and  you  do  not 
find  salvation,  I  will  never  go  into  this  pulpit 
again  to  preach !  "  The  man  and  the  congre- 
gation were  convinced  that  I  meant  what  I 
said,  and  the  tension  of  the  moment  was  al- 
most unspeakable.  I  thought  of  Carmel,  and 
I  also  thought  of  the  epileptic  and  the  faith- 
less disciples.  There  was  also  a  vision  of  the 
Blind  Bartimeus  and  the  sick  of  the  palsy, 
and  the  lame  man  at  the  Beautiful  Gate  of 
the  temple,  and  the  returning  prodigal,  and 

[189] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


other  prodigals  that  I  had  known.  I  have 
been  in  many  hours  of  crisis,  in  public  and 
in  private,  but  I  am  not  sure  that  I  ever 
passed  through  quite  such  an  hour  as  that. 
The  prisoner  walked  up  toward  the  chancel 
rail  and  said :  "  I  will  do  anything  that  you 
ask  me  to  do.  God  knows  I  am  honest  and  in 
earnest."  I  turned  to  the  congregation,  say- 
ing :  "  Brethren,  I  mean  just  what  I  have 
said.  If  God  cannot  save  this  man  there 
must  be  many  others  like  him,  and  I  have 
been  preaching  a  Gospel  that  saves  to  the 
uttermost.  If  God  can  save  this  man  and 
does  save  him,  it  ought  to  increase  the  faith 
of  every  person  here,  and  it  will  mightily  in- 
crease my  own  faith.  Now  we  are  going  to 
prayer.  If  anybody  here  has  faith,  let  him 
exercise  it !  "  I  turned  to  the  man  and  said : 
"  Kneel  with  me  here  at  the  altar."  I  asked 
the  entire  audience  to  kneel  and  to  unite  their 
petitions  with  mine.  Then  I  prayed  for  the 
man,  under  circumstances  such  as  I  had 
never  prayed  before.  My  soul  was  greatly 
moved.  I  do  not  know  just  what  I  said.  I 
only  know  I  cried  to  God  for  help  in  that 
man's  behalf.    If  it  had  been  the  case  of  a 

[190] 


THE  CHALLENGE 


man  about  to  be  shot,  and  the  one  who  had 
power  of  pardon  stood  before  me,  I  could  not 
have  prayed  with  greater  earnestness.  I  felt 
in  my  heart  a  strange  peace  and  holy  confi- 
dence, in  spite  of  the  great  test  that  was  upon 
me.  When  I  had  finished,  I  asked  the  man 
to  pray.  It  was  the  prayer  of  an  honest  but 
benighted  soul.  He  had  evidently  seldom, 
if  ever,  prayed.  It  was  a  groping  after  God, 
but  there  was  the  spirit  of  the  publican  in 
it,  and  I  could  ask  no  more.  When  we  arose 
from  our  knees,  I  asked  him  if  he  had  any 
message  for  me  or  for  the  people.  He  said : 
"  It  is  all  strange.  There  is  something  within 
me  which  I  never  felt  before,  and  which  I  do 
not  understand.  I  know  there  is  a  God,  in 
a  sense  in  which  I  never  knew  it  before.  But 
I  do  not  see  clearly — I  do  not  understand. 
I  see  Christ  as  the  Savior  of  the  world,  but 
I  am  not  sure  that  He  is  my  Savior,  and  this 
is  the  one  thing  that  I  must  have."  I  talked 
with  him  more  at  length  and  explained  to 
him  as  best  I  could,  the  way  of  faith,  and 
dismissed  the  congregation,  saying  that  there 
would  be  a  service  the  next  night,  as  we  had 
planned,  but  that  I  would  not  preach  that 

13  [191] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


night,  or  ever  again,  until  this  man  saw  all 
things  clearly,  and  knew  for  himself  that  he 
was  a  saved  man.  After  the  meeting  was 
over,  I  talked  with  him  and  prayed  with  him, 
and  he  seemed  to  be  drawing  a  little  nearer 
to  God.  But  he  left,  without  entering  into 
the  joy  of  the  saved,  promising  me  that  he 
would  seek  God  ceaselessly  and  without  re- 
serve, and  would  be  present  at  the  service 
the  following  night.  I  let  him  go,  saying  only 
to  him  in  substance: 

"Who  comes  to  God  an  inch  through  doubtings 

dim  .  . 
In    blazing    light;    God  will    advance  a  mile    to 

him.'' 

That  was  a  hard  night  for  me.  Some  of 
the  brethren  thought  I  had  acted  impetuous- 
ly and  had  taken  a  position  which  I  might  be 
forced  to  give  up,  but  I  assured  them  that 
nothing  short  of  that  man's  conversion  would 
absolve  me  from  my  vow.  I  went  to  bed,  but 
not  to  sleep.  At  first  I  was  conscious  of  a 
strange  peace,  and  then,  later,  all  sorts  of 
questions  presented  themselves.  Something 
said  that  I  had  been  very  foolish,  if  not  abso- 

[192] 


THE  CHALLENGE 


lutely  sacrilegious  in  my  act.  I  began  to 
question  what  I  would  do  if  worse  came  to 
worse.  And  I  questioned  whether  I  had 
taken  a  stand  which  might  do  harm  in  the 
community  to  the  Christian  faith.  Was  this 
man  really  honest?  and  would  he  make  a  sin- 
cere test?  Numberless  questions  of  this  sort 
presented  themselves.  But  at  last  my  own 
faith  had  triumph  in  my  own  soul,  and  I  was 
so  certain  of  the  result  that  before  morning 
I  fell  into  a  quiet  and  dreamless  sleep.  When 
I  went  out  upon  the  street,  I  found  that  the 
news  of  the  night  before  had  spread  among 
the  people,  and  I  was  questioned  as  to 
whether  I  knew  the  man.  When  I  told  them 
that  I  did  not,  many  good  people  looked  at 
me  with  a  kindly  commiseration  for  my  folly. 
But  "  none  of  these  things  moved  me."  All 
day  long  I  was  conscious  of  perfect  repose, 
and  as  the  day  wore  on,  I  found  myself  get- 
ting ready  to  preach.  I  had  my  theme  se- 
lected, and  it  was  a  note  of  triumph.  When 
the  time  came  for  the  evening  service,  I  went 
to  church,  but  I  did  not  go  into  the  pulpit.  I 
sat  inside  the  chancel  rail,  directly  in  front 
of  the  aisle  where  most  of  the  people  entered. 

[193] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


We  sang  a  few  hymns  and  the  people  began 
to  crowd  in.  We  had  not  had  so  many  people 
present  at  any  week-evening  service  during 
the  revival.  There  was  a  tense  atmosphere 
that  seemed  to  pervade  the  gathering.  My 
man  did  not  appear,  but  I  still  felt  perfectly  at 
ease.  We  had  a  season  of  prayer.  It  was  time 
to  preach.  I  gave  out  the  hymn,  "  There  is  a 
fountain  filled  with  blood,"  and  we  were  in 
the  midst  of  the  singing,  my  eyes  riveted 
upon  the  door,  when  it  swung  open,  and  in 
strode  the  man  for  whom  I  was  looking. 
Altho  it  was  winter,  his  face  was  covered 
with  sweat  and  his  hair  disheveled.  He 
walked  quickly  up  the  aisle,  and  one  sight  of 
his  face  settled  my  questioning.  As  soon  as 
he  could  catch  his  breath,  he  cried  out :  "  The 
car  broke  down,  and  I  thought  I  should  never 
get  here.  But  you  can  go  ahead  and 
preach ! "  When  the  people  saw  his  face, 
they  knew  what  I  knew,  and  some  one  broke 
out  in  singing :  "  Praise  God  from  whom  all 
blessings  flow ! "  Then,  as  soon  as  he  could 
be  heard,  he  told,  in  a  few  sentences,  what 
had  happened.  He  had  taken  home  with  him 
a  New  Testament,  in  which  I  had  marked 

[194] 


THE  CHALLENGE 


some  passages  that  I  thought  would  help  him. 
He  spent  the  hours  after  he  reached  home  in 
alternately  reading  and  praying.  He  said 
that  the  thing  which  brought  him  light  was 
the  thought  that  he  could  be  bom  again,  so 
that  a  new  life  would  be  within  him,  and  he 
would  be  no  more  the  man  he  was  than  the 
fruit  and  the  grain  on  the  stalk  would  be  the 
dull  husk  hidden  in  the  ground.  With  tears 
and  with  smiles,  he  told  how  at  last  all  his 
fears  passed  away  and  the  sense  of  his  guilt ; 
and  a  peace  unspeakable  came  into  his  heart. 
He  was  certainly  a  new  creature  in  Christ 
Jesus.  He  was  a  good  illustration  of  La- 
cordaire's  words :  "  I  was  unbelieving  in  the 
evening;  on  the  morrow  a  Christian.  Cer- 
tain, with  an  invincible  certainty."  James 
Martineau  will  not  be  accused  of  irrational 
bias  toward  conversion,  but  he  states  a  great 
truth  when  he  says:  "It  is  quite  true  that 
instantaneous  regeneration  of  the  mind  is  not 
a  phenomenon  of  the  commoner  sort,  espe- 
cially in  the  present  day;  but  it  is  also  true, 
that  of  all  the  remarkable  recoveries  that 
occur  (alas!  too  few  at  best),  almost  the 
whole  are  of  this  kind.    It  is  quite  true  that 

[195] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


the  upward  effort  of  the  will,  when  it  ex- 
changes the  madness  of  passion  for  the  per- 
ceptions of  reason,  are  toilsome,  and,  if  suc- 
cessful, tardy;  and  if  all  transformations  of 
conscience  were  of  the  deliberate  and  reason- 
able sort,  philosophers  could  not  say  too 
much  about  their  infrequency  and  slowness. 
But  the  process  springs  from  a  higher  and 
more  powerful  source ;  the  persuasion  is  con- 
ducted by  some  new  and  intense  affection, 
some  fresh  and  vivid  reverence,  followed,  not 
led,  by  the  conscience  and  reason.  The  weeds 
are  not  painfully  plucked  up  by  the  cautious 
hand  of  tillage  reckoning  on  its  fruits,  but 
burnt  out  by  the  blaze  of  a  divine  shame  and 
love.  That  which  is  impossible  to  the  man 
within  us,  may  be  altogether  possible  to  the 
God.  The  denial  of  such  changes  under  the 
affectation  of  great  knowledge  of  man,  shows 
an  incredible  ignorance  of  men."  He  further 
says,  "  The  history  of  every  great  religious 
revolution,  is  made  up  of  nothing  else,  the 
instances  occurring  in  such  number  and  vari- 
ety, as  to  transform  the  character  of  whole 
districts  and  vast  populations,  and  to  put 
all  skepticism  at  utter  defiance.    And  if  some 

[196] 


THE   CHALLENGE 


more  philosophic  authority  is  needed  for  the 
fact,  we  may  be  content  with  the  sanction  of 
Lord  Bacon,  who  observed  that  a  man  re- 
forms his  habits  either  all  together  or  not  at 
all." 

Whether  my  action  in  this  matter  was  a 
wise  one,  there  may  be  difference  of  opinion. 
But  there  could  be  no  question  as  to  the  ef- 
fect of  this  conversion  both  on  myself  and  on 
the  people.  The  question  will  be  asked, 
What  was  the  effect  on  the  man  himself? 
With  him  it  was  "  the  transforming  power 
of  a  new  affection."  He  set  up  a  home  which 
his  evil  course  had  broken  down,  and  he 
dwelt  therein  in  peace.  His  wife,  who  had 
loved  him  in  the  early  days,  and  been  driven 
from  him  by  his  wickedness,  came  back  to 
him,  to  be  so  cared  for  and  treasured,  as  to 
make  her  unspeakably  happy.  She  said  it 
was  marvelous  to  see  the  transformation  in 
his  disposition,  as  well  as  in  his  habits.  He 
came  to  be  a  careful  student  of  the  Bible, 
for  he  was  a  man  of  more  than  usual  intel- 
lectual ability.  So  long  as  I  ministered  with- 
in reach  of  him,  he  was  faithful  to  his  high 

[197] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


calling,  and  the  last  I  heard  of  him,  he  sent 
me  a  message  of  Christian  faith,  and  ex- 
prest  his  gratitude  to  God  for  the  challenge 
which  brought  us  together,  and  which  made 
him  a  free  man  in  Christ  Jesus. 


[1©8] 


IX 
THE  FINDING  OF  ANDREW 


Uncounted  hosts  of  human  beings — men  of  the  loftiest 
intellect  side  by  side  with  men  of  the  most  lowly  heart  and 
the  most  saintly  life — have  what  may  be  scientifically  de- 
scribed as  a  personal  verification  of  the  existence  and  of 
the  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ.  They  are  conscious  of  being 
saved  by  Him.  They  feel  every  moment  the  pulse  of  a 
life  that  beats  direct  from  Him. 

Fitchett. 

He  taught  me  all  the  mercy,  for  He  showed  me  all  the  sin, 
Now  though  my  lamp  was   lighted  late,  there's   One  will 

let  me  in; 
Nor  would  I  now  be  well,  mother,  again  if  that  could  be. 
For  my  desire  is  but  to  pass  to  Him  that  died  for  me. 

"May  Queen" — Tennyson. 

He  rises,  and  it  is  as  if  he  had  gotten  wings.  The  whole 
sky  is  luminous  about  him — it  is  the  morning,  as  it  were, 
of  a  new  eternity.  After  this  all  troublesome  doubt  of 
God's  reality  is  gone,  for  he  has  found  Him!  A  being  so 
profoundly  felt  must  inevitably  be  .  .  .  Tliere  is  a  story 
lodged  in  the  little  bedroom  of  one  of  these  dormitories 
(Yale  College)  which  I  pray  God  His  recording  angel  may 
note,  allowing  it  never  to  be  lost. 

Horace  Bushnell. 


rx 

THE   FINDING   OF   ANDREW 

In  some  of  the  incidents  which  are  related 
in  this  book  we  shall  simply  tell  the  story  as 
it  was  told  to  us  by  the  person  most  deeply 
interested.  In  others  we  shall  attempt  to  de- 
scribe the  unfolding  of  the  spiritual  life  as 
we  saw  it  and  had  some  humble  share  in  that 
unfolding.  We  would  make  them  all  imper- 
sonal but  for  the  fact  that  the  personal  ele- 
ment is  often  of  great  importance  in  the  im- 
pressiveness  of  the  incident  and  is  a  voucher 
for  the  effects  which  have  followed.  In  such 
incidents  our  own  concern  and  importunity 
have  been  simply  those  which  every  faithful 
pastor  feels  and  we  are  sure  that  these  in- 
cidents could  be  duplicated  by  the  thousand  in 
the  lives  of  those  who  have  been  called  into 
the  Christian  Ministry,  and  who  have  felt  that 
the  winning  of  souls  was  the  supreme  evidence 
of  the  reality  of  that  call.  The  miracle  which 
takes  place  when  a  man  of  a  notoriously 

[201] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


wicked  life  becomes  sober,  true,  and  pure,  is 
a  matter  of  astonishment  to  every  beholder 
and  strikes  the  simple  solemn.  But  there  are 
those  who  are  telling  us  that  such  things  are 
to  be  looked  for;  that  we  might  expect  a 
wicked  man  would  sound  the  whole  gamut  of 
wickedness,  and  at  last  cloy  of  the  very  abun- 
dance of  his  iniquity.  However  ill-considered 
such  a  statement  is,  there  are  to  be  found 
those  who  make  it. 

I  am  one  of  those  who  are  glad  to  believe 
that  the  transformations  of  Grace  which  are 
wrought  in  more  quiet  ways,  and  upon  sub- 
jects whose  outward  life  has  been  above  re- 
proach, may  still  exemplify  in  most  potent 
force  the  transforming  power  of  a  new  devo- 
tion. The  incident  which  I  am  about  to  relate 
falls  into  this  latter  class.  I  shall  give  names 
and  places,  and  in  doing  that,  I  shall  be  ful- 
filling a  promise  which  I  made  long  ago. 

One  Monday  evening,  during  my  pastorate 
in  Brooklyn,  a  young  man  somewhat  under 
the  influence  of  liquor,  came  to  the  parson- 
age. He  seemed  anxious  to  do  better.  He 
asked  an  opportunity  to  sign  the  pledge,  and 
just  as  I  was  about  to  pray  with  him,  the 

[202] 


THE  FINDING   OF  ANDREW 


doorbell  rang.  As  I  opened  the  door,  a  fine- 
looking  young  man  touched  his  hat  and  asked 
if  he  could  have  a  few  minutes'  private  con- 
versation with  me.  We  went  to  the  back  par- 
lor and  he  said :  "  I  was  at  your  service  last 
night.  You  were  preaching  on  the  respon- 
sibility which  we  have  for  others,  and  if  I 
understood  you  correctly,  you  said  in  sub- 
stance, that  the  example  of  a  man  of  upright 
life,  morally,  who  did  not  acknowledge 
Christ,  might  by  virtue  of  that  very  up- 
rightness, turn  others  from  an  open  acknowl- 
edgment of  the  Christ,  and  his  example  be 
more  harmful  to  young  men  than  the  exam- 
ple of  a  drunkard  in  the  gutter.  That 
seemed  a  very  strange  statement  to  me,  and 
at  first  I  was  inclined  to  be  angry  over  it. 
But  the  thought  has  laid  such  hold  upon  me 
that  I  cannot  shake  it  off,  and  I  slept  very 
little  last  night  on  account  of  it.  I  mean  to 
be  an  upright  young  man,  but  I  have  never 
acknowledged  Christ  as  my  Leader,  or  come 
into  any  vital  connection  with  the  Church  by 
membership." 

I  tried  to  explain  to  him  that  a  man  who 
depended  upon  his  morality  was  really  say- 

[203] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE  GLEAM 


ing  to  every  young  man  that  Christ  was  not 
a  necessity  in  any  successful  and  well-or- 
dered life,  and  that  others,  seeing  that  such 
a  man  stood  well  in  society,  might  be  con- 
vinced that  if  he  could  get  along  without  the 
Christian  life,  they  could.  And  so  many 
might  be  turned  away  from  vital  Christianity 
to  their  life-long  detriment  and  sorrow. 
What  I  said  seemed  to  impress  him,  and  he 
told  me  his  story.  He  said  he  was  the  secre- 
tary of  the  Sunday-school  in  Cuyler  Chapel, 
and  he  could  not  bear  to  think  that  in  such 
a  position  he  could  be  doing  harm  by  his  ex- 
ample. He  said :  "  I  have  tried  to  live  a  life 
beyond  reproach.  I  have  honestly  desired  to 
do  the  things  that  are  right,  but  when  I  have 
heard  men  talk  about  Divine  help  and  a  con- 
sciousness of  the  nearness  of  God;  when  I 
have  heard  them  say  they  have  experienced 
religion,  all  that  has  been  an  unknown  tongue 
to  me.  I  confess  I  have  rather  looked  down 
on  some  of  my  friends  who  have  made  such 
profession.  But  I  have  also  been  conscious 
of  a  real  lack  in  my  life.  I  could  not  under- 
stand the  ardor  of  my  friends,  and  I  have 
been   indifferent   about   all   this  matter   of 

[204] 


THE  FINDING"  OF  ANDREW 


Church  fellowship  and  interest.  Is  there  any 
way  that  I  can  be  satisfied  in  my  own  soul? 
Is  there  some  great  need  of  my  nature  that  I 
have  not  met?  And  is  there  a  personal  real- 
ity to  be  had  by  me  in  this  matter  of  ^  ex- 
periencing religion'  of  which  I  hear  you 
speak?  "  I  told  him  I  was  certain  that  there 
was  just  as  great  a  possibility  before  him, 
religiously,  as  before  any  of  his  friends.  I 
gave  him  instances  of  those  I  had  known 
whose  life  had  been  largely  as  his  own,  and 
who  had  shared  his  feelings,  but  who  had 
come  at  length  to  a  most  profound  religious 
experience.  I  told  him  that  the  method  of 
that  experience  greatly  varied.  For  some 
there  was  tragic  intensity,  profound  convic- 
tion for  sin,  followed  by  heights  of  ecstasy. 
To  others  again,  an  experience  as  valid  as 
the  first,  but  unaccompanied  by  great  emo- 
tional disturbance;  a  calm  surrender,  fol- 
lowed by  a  perfect  satisfaction  and  trust.  I 
tried  to  show  him  that  each  man  could  have 
that  which  fitted  his  own  nature,  making  the 
experience  complete  for  himself,  and  that  I 
was  so  satisfied  that  there  was  a  complete- 
ness of  that  sort  for  him,  that  I  would  be 

[205] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


willing  to  surrender  my  ministry  if  he  did 
not  come  into  that  experience,  provided  he 
would  comply  with  the  plain  conditions  which 
God  had  set  forth  in  His  Word. 

I  then  called  the  man  who  was  waiting  in 
the  other  room,  and,  after  introducing  them, 
I  said :  "  You  are  both  here  on  the  same  er- 
rand, tho  you  have  come  by  very  different 
paths.  However  wide  apart  you  may  be  so- 
cially, and  however  little  either  of  you  can 
enter  into  the  experiences  of  the  other,  you 
now  need  an  experience  which  will  vary  one 
from  the  other  in  form,  but  which  must  come 
to  each  of  you  by  full  surrender  to  God."  I 
asked  them  to  kneel  with  me  in  prayer.  I 
prayed  earnestly  for  each  of  them  by  name. 
I  tried  to  make  plain  to  them  in  prayer  the 
condition  of  their  own  surrender  to  God,  and 
asked  God  to  show  them  the  sole  conditions 
of  surrender  and  faith.  The  importance  of 
the  hour  fell  upon  my  own  soul  with  smiting 
force  and  I  was  greatly  moved  as  I  prayed. 
The  profligate  followed  with  the  publican's 
prayer,  and  "  as  he  prayed  the  fashion  of  his 
countenance  was  changed."  As  he  lifted  his 
heart  to  God,  his  faith  began  to  kindle.    He 

[206] 


THE  FINDING   OF  ANDREW 


seemed  to  feel  the  Infinite  love  and  sacrifice 
of  Him  who  died  between  the  thieves,  and 
he  appropriated  that  sacrifice  for  himself. 
It  was  beautiful  to  see  how  he  brushed  past 
all  the  doubts  and  difficulties  of  life  and  laid 
hold  on  Christ  by  living  faith.  Before  he  had 
gone  far,  his  praying  had  changed  to  prais- 
ing. He  showed  that  he  had  been  in  touch 
before  with  Christian  truth  and  the  glorious 
affirmations  of  the  songs  of  faith ;  for,  before 
he  had  finished  he  quoted  with  deep  feeling, 
and  in  the  present  tense, 

"The  dying  thief  rejoiced  to  see 
That  fountain  in  his  day; 
And  there  (do)  I,  though  vile  as  he, 
Wash  all  my  sins  away!" 

So  the  shadows  fell  from  off  his  soul,  and  the 
praise  of  God  was  on  his  lips. 

It  was  different  with  Andrew  Herlin,  the 
gentlemanly  bank  clerk.  I  do  not  think  he 
quite  liked  it  to  kneel  there  with  the  prodigal 
and  seek  for  mercy  on  the  same  terms. 
There  was  something  of  the  Pharisee's  spirit, 
which  he  struggled  hard  to  keep  out  of  sight. 
"We  were  still  kneeling,  and  in  silence.    After 

14  [207] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


a  pause  that  seemed  to  me  quite  too  long,  I 
asked  him  gently  if  he  had  not  a  word  of  pe- 
tition to  offer  in  his  own  behalf.  After  a 
moment  he  began,  timidly,  as  if  afraid  of  the 
sound  of  his  own  voice.  At  first,  his  prayer 
seemed  to  be  very  much  like  the  Pharisee's 
prayer,  a  justification  of  himself  in  the  sight 
of  God.  He  told  God,  without  very  much  of 
expectancy  in  his  voice,  that  if  there  was  any- 
thing which  God  had  for  him,  he  would  be 
willing  to  take  it.  But  the  prayer  did  not 
reveal  any  especial  conviction  or  any  deep 
longing.  When  it  was  over  I  offered  a  short 
petition,  and  we  rose.  The  first  man  was 
fairly  radiant,  but  Herlin  was  distrait  and 
troubled.  He  glanced  at  the  other  man  with 
a  questioning  look  which  seemed  to  have 
aversion  in  it,  and  his  eyes  dropped  to  the 
floor.  "Is  there  any  light?"  I  asked.  "I 
hardly  know.  I  do  not  feel  like  this  man,  but 
I  never  felt  before  quite  as  I  do  now.  There 
is  something  very  strange  about  it  all.  I 
wish  I  could  feel  as  you  do,  but  I  don't.  But 
I  shall  have  to  go  on  somewhere  and  some- 
how, for  I  can't  be  comfortable  or  at  peace 
any  more  until  I  know  about  this.     I  feel 

[208] 


THE   FINDING   OF  ANDREW 


worse  than  I  did  when  I  came  here."  I  made 
the  way  of  faith  as  plain  as  I  could.  I  as- 
sured him  that  it  was  not  a  matter  of  emo- 
tion at  all,  but  a  matter  of  honest  surrender 
to  the  will  and  purposes  of  God;  that  he 
needed  to  reach  a  place  where  love  should  be 
supreme — ^love  for  his  fellows  and  love  to 
God :  that  a  heart  of  flesh  must  take  the  place 
of  the  stony,  unresponsive  heart.  And  so 
we  separated,  he  promising  that  he  would 
come  to  the  parsonage  after  bank  hours  the 
next  day.  He  kept  his  promise,  and  for  more 
than  an  hour  we  talked  about  the  necessity 
of  the  Christian  life.  At  first  he  seemed  to 
have  buttressed  himself  afresh  against  the 
idea  of  any  necessity  on  his  part  to  have  a 
change  of  heart.  The  supernatural  element 
in  religions  seemed  to  disturb  him,  and  his 
arguments  were  the  old  arguments  in  favor 
of  an  ethical  rather  than  a  spiritual  life.  I 
tried  to  show  him  that  the  spiritual  should 
be  the  foundation  of  the  ethical ;  that  without 
the  ethical  the  spiritual  would  prove  itself 
spurious ;  and  without  the  spiritual  the  ethi- 
cal would  have  no  adequate  and  abiding  foun- 
dation.   Before  we  were  through,  it  seemed 

[209] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


to  me  that  the  fog  had  lifted  a  little,  but  he 
was  by  no  means  satisfied.  We  prayed  to- 
gether, and  his  prayer  disclosed  more  of  the 
open  mind  than  he  had  displayed  at  first,  so 
that  I  felt  encouraged  for  him,  but  I  was  in- 
creasingly anxious  lest  something  should 
turn  him  from  the  path  before  the  day  should 
break.  I  exacted  from  him  a  promise  that  he 
would  play  the  part  of  an  earnest  man  in  this 
whole  matter  and  be  satisfied  with  nothing 
short  of  a  decision  of  some  sort  that  would 
carry  conviction  with  it.  I  was  glad  to  find 
that  he  was  a  young  man  of  such  strong  na- 
ture and  so  utterly  honest  that  he  would  not 
be  satisfied  with  anything  short  of  absolute 
conviction  and  assurance,  and  that  he  would 
not  shade,  by  so  much  as  a  hair,  the  expe- 
rience through  which  he  was  passing.  He 
was  evidently  thinking  much  and  reading 
much,  and  later  I  saw  that  he  was  praying 
much.  There  were  two  other  interviews  in 
which  we  talked  the  matter  over  with  perfect 
frankness,  and  at  last  the  gray  of  the  morn- 
ing broke  into  the  day,  and  he  had  what 
Thomas  wanted.  When  conviction  did  come, 
it  was  a  profound  one.    There  was  a  new  joy 

[210] 


THE  FINDING  OF  ANDREW 


in  his  face ;  the  sad  look  had  gone.  He  moved 
eagerly,  like  some  one  about  some  high  and 
imperative  business.  He  was  as  quiet  as  be- 
fore, so  far  as  any  emotional  expression  was 
concerned,  but  anyone  could  see  that  he  was 
living  a  new  life.  Physically,  he  was  tall  and 
spare,  and  I  had  wondered  whether  his 
health  was  of  the  best,  altho  no  word  had 
passed  between  us  in  reference  to  it.  For 
two  weeks  I  did  not  see  him.  One  day  a 
messenger  came  hurrying  to  me  and  told  me 
that  Herlin  was  dead.  It  seems  that  he  was 
taken  with  a  sudden  hemorrhage.  It  had  come 
entirely  unexpected  and  was  an  unspeakable 
shock  to  his  family.  He  lingered  for  a  few 
days  and  passed  away.  The  messenger  told 
me  that  his  father  had  a  message  for  me, 
which  he  would  come  the  next  day  to  deliver. 
And  this  was  the  message :  "  Tell  Dr.  Good- 
ell,"  said  the  dying  man,  "  that  I  was  never 
able  to  go  to  the  Chapel  and  tell  the  young 
people  how  I  found  Jesus  and  ask  them  to  for- 
give me  for  being  so  long  a  stumbling-block 
in  their  way.  I  want  to  be  buried  from  the 
Chapel  and  I  want  Dr.  Goodell  to  stand  by 
me  and  say  for  me  what  I  would  have  said 

[211] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


if  I  had  been  permitted.  I  wish  yon  wonld 
ask  him,  for  the  sake  of  other  yonng  men 
who  are  morally  good  bnt  do  not  know  Christ, 
to  please  tell  my  story  each  year  at  his  re- 
vival meetings."  I  may  add  that  this  last  re- 
quest of  Herlin's  has  been  religiously  kept 
by  me  to  this  day.  When  the  day  of  the  fu- 
neral was  come  I  went  to  the  service  from 
another  meeting,  and  was  a  little  late.  The 
chapel  was  a  room  one  flight  up  from  the 
street.  Every  inch  of  standing-room  seemed 
to  be  taken.  The  stairs  were  crowded  with 
people  standing  and  the  crowd  extended  into 
the  street.  It  was  only  after  I  was  recog- 
nized that  I  was  able  to  press  my  way 
through  the  crowd  and  reach  the  casket. 
Never  in  my  life  had  I  stood  quite  so  literal- 
ly between  the  living  and  the  dead.  And 
never  had  I  been  more  overwhelmed  with  the 
message  that  I  bore.  I  found  that  Herlin 
was  universally  respected  and  beloved.  He 
had  been  a  leader,  by  virtue  of  his  ability 
and  spotless  character.  He  attached  his 
friends  to  himself  by  bonds  that  could  not 
be  broken.  Every  person  present  seemed  to 
be  a  mourner,  and  each  felt  he  had  lost  a  per- 

[212] 


THE  FINDING  OF  ANDREW 


sonal  friend.  I  told  the  simple  story  of  his 
conversion  to  the  hundreds  of  young  people 
who  had  loved  him,  and  delivered  to  them 
his  thrilling  message.  I  described  the  steps 
which  he  himself  had  taken  and  which  he 
urged  them  to  take.  I  made  expression  of  his 
own  conviction  concerning  the  Source  of  the 
peace  which  filled  his  life,  and  delivered  to 
them  his  dying  exhortation.  The  great  com- 
pany, the  banks  of  flowers,  the  silent  form 
resting  there,  the  peace  of  God  in  all  his 
looks,  and  the  deep  personal  message,  all 
combined  to  make  the  hour  one  of  the  most 
impressive  of  a  lifetime.  The  only  fitting 
thing  to  follow  such  a  service,  actually  took 
place.  A  revival  began  at  once  among  the 
young  people,  and  went  on  until  the  great 
majority  of  those  connected  with  the  school 
had  yielded  themselves  to  Christ.  Tho  years 
have  passed,  the  pastor  recently  told  me  that 
the  influence  of  Herlin's  testimony  was  still 
felt  throughout  the  community,  and  that  a 
splendid  company  of  young  men  and  women 
came  to  feel  that  it  was  their  duty  to  give 
that  life  an  immortality  among  them.    They 

[213] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


went  to  their  work  with  a  conviction  which 
has  borne  most  remarkable  fruit. 

This  type  of  experience  is  as  far  as  pos- 
sible removed  from  such  experiences  as  are 
to  be  found  in  such  books  as  "  Twice  Born 
Men,"  but  I  believe  that  it  appeals  to  the 
young  men  of  to-day  with  great  power,  and 
presents  an  experience  which  it  is  possible  to 
duplicate  by  tens  of  thousands.  I  trust  the 
incident  may  influence  many  another  splen- 
did young  man  to  accept  for  himself  the  par- 
don and  peace  which  come  from  honest  sur- 
render to  the  will  of  God  as  revealed  in  his 
own  soul,  and  that  whether  by  little  emotion 
or  by  much,  he  may  move  his  friends  and  his 
times  up  to  God! 


[2X4] 


X 

CHRIST  AND  THE  BOYS 


Then  there  came  a  new  minister,  a  young  man  of  simple 
ways.  He  asked  me  to  his  home  and  inquired  concerning 
my  religious  state.  I  told  him  that  I  had  come  so  ^'ar  that 
I  did  not  know  how  to  go  further.  He  told  me  what  to  do. 
Under  his  instruction,  I  went  to  my  home,  and  there,  in  a 
boy's  own  room,  I  knelt  by  a  yellow  chair  and  said  a  word 
like  this :  "  Here,  Lord,  I  give  myself  away :  'tis  all  that 
I  can  do."  The  answer  quickly  came:  "My  dear  boy,  that 
is  all  you  have  to  do."  It  was  all.  I  felt  that  I  was 
Christ's  boy — a  new  feeling  was  in  my  soul.  I  went  down 
the  street  the  next  morning  repeating  words  for  which  I 
had  not  cared  before :  "  Bless  the  Lord,  0  my  soul."  It 
was  the  new  song,  and  I  have  sung  it  ever  since.  I  have 
taught  others  to  sing  it.  To  this  teaching  I  have  given  my 
life. 

Alexander  McKenzie,  D.D. 

I  remember  a  time  when  I  was  very  idle.  ...  Of 
that  great  change  of  campaign  which  decided  all  this 
part  of  my  life  and  turned  me  from  one  whose  business 
was  to  shirk  into  one  whose  business  was  to  strive 
and  persevere,  it  seems  to  me  as  though  all  that  had  been 
done  by  some  one  else.  ...  I  came  about  like  a  well- 
handled  ship.  There  stood  at  the  wheel  that  unknown 
steersman  whom  we  call  God. 

Robert  Louis  Stevenson. 


X 

CHEIST   AND   THE   BOYS 

Among  the  stories  in  which  the  marvelous 
power  of  God  is  revealed  to  strike  men  down 
in  the  highway  of  their  sin  or  to  bring  men 
who  had  passed  on  into  the  years  and  into 
what  might  seem  to  be  a  final  fixedness  of 
habit  and  character,  it  gives  me  pleasure  to 
place  at  least  one  in  which  I  may  tell  of  the 
sweet  unfolding  of  that  spirit  which  hath  not 
left  itself  without  witness  in  the  lives  of  all. 
This  will  take  form  as  a  religious  awakening 
rather  than  conversion,  in  the  form  in  which 
we  are  accustomed  to  see  it  in  the  lives  of 
men  and  women.  When  will  the  Church 
come  to  understand  that  the  child  belongs  to 
God,  that  it  is  as  natural  for  him  to  love  God 
as  to  love  his  own  parents,  and  that  a  re- 
ligious life  is  not  a  creed  to  be  understood, 
but  a  life  to  be  lived?  When  a  boy  or  a  girl 
stands  at  the  altar  and  the  pastor  solemnly 
says :  "  Dost  thou  believe  in  God  the  Father 

[217] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


Almighty,  Maker  of  heaven  and  earth,  and 
in  Jesus  Christ,  His  only  Son,  our  Lord,"  and 
so  on  through  the  full  declaration  of  the 
Apostles'  Creed,  you  will  see  men  and  women 
shaking  their  heads  and  saying  to  one  an- 
other: "Poor  child!  he  doesn't  understand 
what  he  is  assenting  to.  The  minister  ought 
to  know  better  than  to  ask  him  such  ques- 
tions, and  he  really  ought  not  to  receive  any- 
one into  the  Church  who  does  not  understand 
them ! "  The  answer  to  that  is  not  far  to 
seek.  The  poor  critic  himself  does  not  un- 
derstand the  Creed.  And  it  really  makes  no 
difference  whether  he  understands  it  or  not. 
Most  men  know  more  truth  than  they  act 
upon.  We  are  not  saying  that  it  might  not 
be  better  to  have  a  simpler  method  of  recep- 
tion into  the  Church.  It  is  no  doubt  true  that 
much  theological  baggage  has  come  down 
out  of  the  past  ages  and  still  acts  as  impedi- 
menta to  the  Church.  But,  as  a  matter  of 
fact,  those  who  make  the  most  crooked  paths 
in  the  Christian  life  are  not  children,  but 
adults.  The  child  needs  a  child  religion. 
When  he  is  an  adult  he  will  change  the  form 
of  it^  but  he  will  be  fortunate  indeed  if  he 

[218] 


CHRIST  AND   THE  BOYS 


keeps  througli  all  his  years  the  same  sin- 
cerity and  purity  which  characterized  the  re- 
ligion of  his  youth.  The  Kingdom  of  Heaven 
in  the  soul,  as  well  as  in  the  world,  is  the 
problem  of  the  mysterious  seed:  a  problem 
of  growth.  Let  the  child  understand  that  the 
happiest  work  in  the  world  is  the  growing 
of  a  Christian  character,  that  it  has  in  it 
laughter  and  song,  as  well  as  stress  and 
struggle,  that  true  religion  has  as  much  for 
youth  as  for  age,  and  that  the  best  recipe 
for  a  blest  old  age  is  a  pure  and  useful 
youth.  Teach  them  that  the  period  of  the 
blade  and  tassel  is  beautiful  chiefly  because 
of  the  prospect  of  harvests  which  they  fore- 
tell. If,  perchance,  some  child  shirks  re- 
ligious duty  and  does  not  seem  to  enjoy  God's 
work,  if  he  gets  angry  and  is  not  always 
truthful,  it  is  well  to  ask :  "  whose  child  is  he, 
and  how  came  he  by  such  inclinations  1 "  Are 
not  some  ministers  selfish  and  wilful?  Do 
not  some  officials  get  angry?  Are  there  not 
many  Church  members  who  are  careless  of 
the  truth?  Do  all  official  meetings  minister 
to  growth  in  grace?  This  is  not  offered  as 
apology  for  un-Christian  conduct  in  children 

[219] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


or  adults,  but  simply  as  a  reminder  tliat  we 
must  not  expect  more  of  the  child  than  he  sees 
in  the  example  of  his  elders.  We  have  been 
long  enough  in  the  Christian  ministry  to  see 
the  unfolding  of  the  characters  of  the  chil- 
dren whom  we  took  into  the  Church.  It  is 
true  that  not  all  the  thousands  we  have  re- 
ceived into  the  Church  as  children,  have  re- 
mained faithful,  but  the  percentage  of  faith- 
ful ones  among  those  who  gave  themselves 
to  Christ  in  their  youth  is  far  beyond  that 
of  those  who  broke  through  the  habits  of  a 
misspent  life  and  in  the  fulness  of  their  years 
tried  to  begin  where  they  ought  to  have  be- 
gun as  little  children.  Not  only  so,  but  the 
type  of  Christianity  which  they  have  shown 
to  the  world  is  the  best  type  that  we  know. 
There  is  a  stedfastness  about  it  which  is  the 
comfort  of  every  pastor.  If  there  is  less  of 
exultation,  there  is  also  less  of  depression. 
In  point  of  attendance  upon  the  means  of 
grace  and  of  devotion  to  the  interests  of  the 
Church,  social,  financial,  and  spiritual,  the 
very  best  results,  as  a  class,  come  from  those 
who  have  been  trained  in  Christian  homes 
and  in  the   Sunday-school,  and  early  gave 

[220] 


CHRIST  AND   THE  BOYS 


themselves  to  the  fellowship  of  the  Church. 
Through  many  years  of  association  with  chil- 
dren and  youth,  the  conviction  is  forced  upon 
me  that  when  a  child  is  old  enough  to  love 
father  or  mother,  he  is  old  enough  to  love 
God.  Samuel  and  John  were  sanctified  unto 
God  from  their  birth.  Timothy  knew  the 
Scriptures  from  a  child.  Polycarp,  dying 
at  ninety-five,  had  served  God  eighty-six 
years.  Baxter  was  converted  when  a  child; 
Jonathan  Edwards  at  seven  years  of  age; 
Isaac  Watts  at  nine ;  Matthew  Henry  at  elev- 
en, and  Eobert  Hall  at  twelve.  Many  of  the 
mightiest  of  God's  servants  to-day  were  re- 
ceived into  the  Church  before  they  were 
twelve  years  of  age.  Language  precedes 
grammar;  flowers  precede  botany;  life  pre- 
cedes biology.  So  a  Christian  experience 
precedes  theology.  And  the  question  is  not 
How  much  do  you  know^  but  How  truly  do 
you  love  and  obey?  To  illustrate  these  con- 
victions, I  wish  to  tell  the  story  of  three  coun- 
try boys  who  in  a  most  simple  and  natural 
way,  after  training  in  Christian  homes,  gave 
themselves  to  Christ  and  His  Church. 

I  tell  this  story  the  more  eagerly  because  it 

[221] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


is  a  story  which  I  would  like  to  see  multiplied 
by  the  thousands  among  the  young  people 
of  our  Church  and  time;  and  especially  be- 
cause it  is  in  part  my  own  life-story  and 
therefore  of  supreme  personal  interest  to  me. 
These  boys  were  born  in  a  New  England 
village  not  far  from  one  another  and  were 
accustomed  to  go  to  school  together.  They 
attended  a  little  Methodist  church  where 
were  a  band  of  men  and  women  of  deep  and 
earnest  spiritual  life.  When  Zion  prospered 
they  were  happy,  and  when  Zion  languished 
they  were  disconsolate.  They  went  with  the 
pastor  to  the  schoolhouses  of  the  town 
and  held  weekly  meetings.  They  tramped 
through  miles  of  drifted  roads  in  the  chilly 
winters,  that  they  might  reach  some  hearts 
and  bring  them  to  Christ.  They  were  known 
far  and  near  as  past  masters  in  the  art  of 
bringing  men  and  women  to  God.  Often 
hard  cases  were  brought  from  the  neighbor- 
ing towns  that  they  might  show  them  the  way 
of  Life.  I  have  never  forgotten  those  spir- 
itual clinics,  the  sharp,  clear  diagnosis  of  the 
case,  and  the  application  of  the  infallible 
Eemedy — and  the  Eemedy  did  the  rest. 

[222] 


CHRIST  AND  THE  BOYS 


They  long  ago  fell  on  sleep,  but  I  can  see 
them  coming  in,  as  of  old,  to  the  great  farm- 
house kitchen,  knocking  the  snow  from  their 
feet,  while  the  leader  stands  at  the  door  with 
radiant  face,  and,  rubbing  his  hands  together, 
shouts  with  glee,  "  Glory  to  God !  See  the 
troops  gather ! " 

It  was  under  such  circumstances  as  these 
that  these  three  boys  were  bom  and  bred. 
To  be  Christ's  seemed  the  most  natural  thing 
in  the  world.  So,  at  eight  or  nine  years  of 
age,  without  any  great  emotion,  but  with  a 
sweet  sense  of  God's  presence,  and  with  the 
understanding  that  religion  was  a  thing  for 
a  little  child,  they  gave  themselves  to  their 
blest  Lord.  The  only  thing  which  was  mani- 
fested in  their  lives  was  an  eagerness  for 
the  means  of  grace  and  especial  delight 
in  all  the  services  of  the  Lord's  house.  To 
have  stayed  away  from  a  prayer-meeting  or 
class-meeting,  they  would  have  felt  was  a 
personal  affliction.  And  nothing  short  of  the 
positive  action  of  their  parents  forbidding 
them,  on  account  of  sickness  or  for  other 
reason,  to  go,  would  keep  them  away  from 
these  gatherings  which  were  so  delightful  to 

15  [223] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


their  souls.  "With  the  beginning  of  their 
Christian  life,  they  seemed  to  feel  an  in- 
creasing desire  to  make  the  most  possible  of 
their  time  and  opportunities.  As  the  years 
passed,  each  one  of  them  gave  himself  a  care- 
ful preparation  for  his  life-work.  The  means 
of  each  of  them  was  limited,  and  they  were 
obliged  to  work  their  way  through  college. 
Two  of  them  took  the  full  college  course  and 
one  the  theological  course.  Their  religious 
experience  had  never  been  marked  by  a  spe- 
cial exuberance  of  spirit,  or  outward  mani- 
festation of  religious  life.  In  fact,  the  re- 
ligious life  had  been  with  them  a  growth. 
Perhaps  neither  of  them  could  tell  the  exact 
moment  or  place  of  his  conversion,  but  lit- 
tle by  little,  the  consciousness  was  borne 
in  upon  them  that  a  new  relation  between 
them  and  God  was  formally  established. 
There  were  also  periods  of  special  religious 
experience,  when  they  seemed  to  come  into 
new  and  more  vital  experiences  of  the  grace 
of  God. 

They  were  in  love  with  everything  that 
made  up  the  life  of  a  wide-awake  eager 
young  man.     In  all  games  and  sports  they 

[224] 


CHRIST  AND  THE  BOYS 


were  at  the  front.  They  kept  in  touch  with 
the  latest  things  in  the  field  of  baseball  and 
football,  of  athletics  and  aquatics.  They  had 
no  sympathy  with  the  pale-faced  type  of 
Christian,  who  spends  his  time  writing  homi- 
lies, and  who  only  reads  Young's  "  Night 
Thoughts,"  "  Thomas  a  Kempis,"  and  St. 
Augustine's  "  Confessions."  So  far  as  I 
know,  everybody  counted  them  sincere  and 
the  effect  of  their  honesty  and  devotion  was 
seen  among  their  fellows. 

A  little  incident  will  serve  to  illustrate  that 
influence  upon  others.  It  so  happened  that 
the  annual  social  which  was  held  by  the 
Academy  which  one  of  them  attended,  fell 
on  the  night  when  the  class,  of  which  he  was 
a  member,  in  the  little  Methodist  church,  was 
accustomed  to  meet.  The  social  was  the  one 
occasion  of  the  year  for  the  young  people. 
They  looked  forward  most  eagerly  to  it,  and 
nothing  would  keep  them  from  it.  The  ques- 
tion presented  itself :  "  Which  shall  it  be,  the 
social  or  the  class-meeting?"  On  one  side 
it  could  be  said  that  the  class-meeting  came 
every  week  and  the  social  but  once  a  year — 
that  if  he  was  absent  from  the  class-meeting 

[225] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


that  nigM,  it  would  be  something  that  could 
be  remedied  the  next  week ;  but  absence  from 
the  social  would  mean  a  self-denial  which 
must  cover  an  entire  year.  On  the  other  side, 
a  principle  seemed  to  be  involved.  Would 
he  choose  the  secular  in  place  of  the  spirit- 
ual? The  latter  thought  seemed  to  carry  so 
much  weight  with  it  that  the  young  man 
made  up  his  mind  that  he  would  go  to  his 
class -meeting,  spend  there  the  full  time,  and 
then,  that  he  might  not  seem  to  be  discour- 
teous to  his  teachers  or  his  mates,  he  would 
go  to  the  social,  if  he  was  in  time,  and  greet 
his  teachers  and  mates  as  they  were  separat- 
ing. He  went  to  the  class-meeting  and  en- 
joyed it.  It  was  a  little  longer  than  usual, 
so  that  when  it  was  over  there  seemed  to  be 
a  question  whether  he  would  be  able  to  reach 
the  hall  before  the  exercises  were  over.  But 
he  went,  and  as  he  entered  the  hall  door,  the 
principal  of  the  Academy  stood  near  the  door. 
He  came  to  him  and  grasped  his  hand  most 
warmly.  The  principal  was  not  a  member  of 
the  Church,  and  was  of  a  skeptical  turn  of 
mind.  But  the  young  man  heard  afterward 
that  he  said :  "  I  knew  that  his  class-meeting 

[226] 


CHRIST  AND  THE  BOYS 


was  held  on  the  same  night  as  the  social,  and 
I  was  looking  to  see  what  he  would  do.  I 
knew  how  eager  he  was  for  all  sports  and 
how  he  had  looked  forward  to  the  social. 
We  missed  him  greatly  at  our  gathering,  but 
he  not  only  raised  himself  immeasurably  in 
my  estimation  by  the  course  he  pursued ;  he 
also  imprest  me  with  the  reality  of  religious 
convictions  which  I  had  doubted  before." 

During,  or  before  their  seminary  or  col- 
lege course,  each  one  of  these  young  men  felt 
a  great  impression  that  he  ought  to  give  him- 
self to  the  ministry  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
That  call  came  in  different  fashion  to  each 
of  them.  One  of  them  felt  profound  convic- 
tion which  amounted  to  a  "Wo  is  me  if  I 
preach  not  the  Gospel ! "  But  to  the  other 
two  the  call  came  differently.  Each  of  the 
young  men  had  been  brought  up  in  a  home 
where  high  ideals  of  the  Christian  ministry 
were  set  forth.  They  often  heard  it  said 
that  a  man  must  have  a  call  from  God  strange 
and  powerful,  before  he  could  venture  to  en- 
ter the  ministry.  They  were  also  taught 
that  the  measure  of  man^s  power  to  reach 
others  was  the  measure  of  his  success  in  the 

[227] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE  GLEAM 


ministry.  That  was,  in  fact,  the  only  stand- 
ard of  success.  Two  of  them  did  not  have 
that  call  in  the  solemn,  tremendous  fashion 
that  they  longed  for.  But  they  still  felt  they 
could  be  happy  in  no  other  work.  One  of 
them  went  very  tremblingly  to  his  first 
charge  and  was  not  even  sure  that  he  was 
in  the  ministry  for  a  life-work.  All  his 
yearnings  and  longings  seemed  to  point  that 
way,  but  he  was  not  yet  satisfied.  He  said, 
"  0  Lord,  if  this  is  my  work,  give  me  souls 
for  my  hire !  If  souls  are  saved  I  shall  take 
that  as  evidence  that  God  wants  me  in  the 
ministry.'^  He  wished  to  know  whether  he 
had  power  to  win  the  hearts  of  men,  or 
whether  he  had  simply  power  to  win  their  in- 
tellectual approval,  as  they  might  give  it  to 
an  essayist  or  lecturer.  God  was  pleased  to 
give  him  some  souls  as  the  result  of  his  la- 
bors for  the  first  year.  But  he  was  not  yet 
satisfied.  He  said :  "  This  may  have  hap- 
pened so,  but  if  God  will  send  me  more  mar- 
velous manifestations  next  year,  then  I  shall 
be  certain  that  I  have  a  call  from  Heaven." 
God  was  pleased  to  send  that  second  year  a 
great  outpouring  of  His  Spirit.     But,  like 

[228] 


CHRIST  AND  THE  BOYS 


Gideon,  our  young  preacher  wanted  yet  an- 
other test.  He  had  accepted  a  call  to  a  city 
church,  and  he  said :  ''  If  God  shall  bless  me 
there,  I  shall  take  it  beyond  all  question  that 
He  wants  me  in  the  ministry."  The  Holy 
Spirit  gave  him  yet  a  larger  manifestation 
of  His  favor  and  blessing,  and  many  came 
into  the  kingdom  of  grace.  Then  it  dawned 
upon  him  that  what  he  had  been  asking  for 
these  three  years  was,  after  all,  the  thing  he 
was  to  expect  every  year  in  his  ministry.  And 
in  all  the  years  of  that  ministry  the  blessing 
of  God  in  this  particular,  of  especial  and 
divine  outpouring  of  grace,  has  not  failed. 

For  more  than  twenty-five  years  each  one 
of  these  three  boys  has  gone  steadily  forward 
in  his  ministry.  Year  after  year  God  has 
given  proofs  of  His  blessings,  and  at  the  end 
of  these  years,  in  the  fulness  of  their  strength, 
each  one  is  still  giving  himself  to  the  min- 
istry of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  One  is  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Control  of  the  Ep- 
worth  League,  another  is  Principal  of  one  of 
our  large  academies,  and  the  third  is  the 
humble  disciple  "which  beareth  witness  of 
these  things." 

[229] 


XI 

A  BUSINESS  MAN'S  CALL 


The  expectation  that  blessedness  lies  in  what  a  man  gets 
is  the  deadly  superstition  of  the  market  place,  more  harmful 
than  any  theological  vagary.  Larger  tenements  for  labor- 
ers? Yes!  But  it  would  be  better  for  many  a  family  to 
move  into  a  smaller  rather  than  a  larger  home  if  more 
hope,  faith,  and  love  should  issue  from  this  domestic 
change.  Automobiles  for  all  ?  Yes !  But  it  would  be  better 
for  everyone  to  go  afoot  in  righteousness  than  to  ride  far 
and  wide  with  a  dying  conscience  and  a  hardening  heart. 

J.  H,  Crooker. 

"God  above  looking  down  in  condescending  grace  and 
loving  invitation,  and  men  below  looking  up  in  filial  sur- 
render and  aspiration,  and  then  the  soul's  Godward  flight 
forever  and  ever — ^there  is  no  other  salvation." 

Bowne. 


XI 

A   BUSINESS    MAN'S   CALL 

To  Matthew  the  call  of  his  Master  came 
as  he  sat  at  the  receipt  of  customs.  It  was  a 
business  man's  call,  answered,  apparently, 
without  emotion,  moved  by  the  impelling  call 
of  present  duty  and  need.  The  fashion  of 
it  differed  a  little,  but  in  substance  it  was  the 
same  call  which  came  to  fisherfolk  like  Peter 
and  John.  It  was  reinforced  by  no  miracle, 
but  it  met  with  ready  acceptance  and  with  a 
devotion  which  was  as  true  as  that  of  the 
men  who  heard  the  Master's  voice  over  Gali- 
lee. I,  too,  have  overheard  the  call  of  Jesus 
to  Matthew,  again  and  again,  the  business 
man's  call. 

In  one  of  my  pastorates  was  a  man  with 
a  large  and  interesting  family.  The  wife  and 
children  were  members  of  the  Church,  but 
he  was  not.  He  had  come  to  the  city  as  a 
young  man,  absolutely  penniless.  From  a 
humble  position  as   a  clerk  in  a  furniture 

[233] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


store  he  advanced  by  energy  and  persever- 
ance until  he  was  able  to  start  a  little  busi- 
ness of  his  own.  His  wife  worked  with  him, 
and  at  night  he  delivered  with  his  wheelbar- 
row the  goods  he  had  sold  during  the  day. 
Men  saw  his  energy  and  devotion  to  business 
and  gave  him  their  patronage  and  encourage- 
ment. They  gave  him  credit  where  men  of 
larger  means  were  unable  to  secure  it,  and 
his  advance  in  business  success  was  rapid. 
When  I  knew  him  he  had  a  large  building, 
many  stories  high,  packed  with  furniture  on 
which  he  did  not  owe  a  dollar.  He  delighted 
to  tell  me  of  his  early  struggles,  and  asked 
me  to  come  and  look  over  his  plant.  I  took 
the  invitation  as  a  call  from  God,  and  went. 
After  a  chat  with  him  in  his  office,  he  asked 
the  privilege  of  showing  me  the  entire  build- 
ing in  detail.  So  we  began  at  the  basement, 
and  went  up,  story  after  story,  to  the  top  of 
the  building.  He  grew  more  and  more  eager 
as  we  passed  from  floor  to  floor  and  told  me 
the  details  of  his  successes  and  pointed  out 
his  possessions.  The  spirit  which  he  showed 
with  every  new  revelation  was :  "  Is  not  this 
great  Babylon  which  I  have  builded?  "    I  had 

[234] 


A  BUSINESS   MAN'S   CALL 


gone  for  a  purpose,  and  as  we  passed  one 
floor  after  another,  my  anxiety  increased  to 
know  just  how  I  could  bring  home  to  him  the 
message  which  I  felt  God  wanted  me  to  deliv- 
er. At  last  we  reached  the  top  floor,  and  I 
felt  it  must  be  then  or  never.  The  floor  was 
crowded  with  refrigerators,  but  my  heart 
was  hot.  "While  I  was  musing,  the  fire 
burned.  Then  spake  I  with  my  tongue."  "  I 
am  amazed  to  see  the  great  success  which  has 
come  to  you.  You  say  this  is  all  yours.  You 
have  no  partners  and  you  do  not  owe  a  dol- 
lar. You  tell  me  that  you  came  to  the  city 
friendless  and  poor.  Why  is  it  that  you  have 
succeeded  when  so  many  other  men  around 
you  have  failed?  Here  is  your  nearest  com- 
petitor. His  business  was  just  sold  out. 
Why  did  he  fail?"  "Well,  poor  fellow,  he  had 
been  here  only  a  little  while  when  he  was 
taken  sick.  He  did  the  best  he  could,  but 
everything  was  against  him.  Then  after  a 
while,  the  pressure  was  so  heavy  upon  him 
that  his  wife  undertook  to  help  him.  One 
financial  loss  after  another  struck  him.  At 
last  his  wife  became  insane  and  his  own 
health  utterly  broke,  and  now  he  is  dead  and 

[235] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


his  business  sold  out  under  the  hammer." 
"  You  say  your  competitor  was  your  supe- 
rior in  training  and  experience,  but  things 
were  against  him.  So  it  seems  that  the  great- 
est factor  in  your  success  has  been  not  your- 
self, but  God.  He  gave  you  health  and  a 
good  wife  and  fortunate  surroundings.  What 
have  you  ever  done  to  show  your  gratitude? 
You  do  not  even  ask  a  blessing  at  the  loaded 
table  in  your  elegant  home,  much  less  call 
your  children  about  you  for  family  prayers. 
If  a  friend  had  helped  you  in  business,  how 
eager  you  would  be  to  own  that  help  and  to 
make  what  return  you  could  for  his  kindness. 
But  drawing  every  day  the  breath  which  God 
gave  you,  and  every  day  made  happy  and 
fortunate  by  His  care,  you  have  yet  done  ab- 
solutely nothing  to  show  your  appreciation 
of  His  mercies.  Is  such  a  course  manly  or 
honest  ?  And  if  it  is  neither,  about  how  long 
do  you  plan  to  keep  it  up  ?  "  There  was  si- 
lence in  the  refrigerator  loft,  and  the  strong 
man  was  moved.  I  could  see  that  a  tremen- 
dous struggle  was  going  on  within  him. 
Then  I  said  tenderly :  ^'  I  am  sure  that  at 
heart  you  are  grateful  for  God's  mercy.    I 

[236] 


A  BUSINESS   MAN'S   CALL 


am  sure  you  mean  some  time  to  acknowledge 
His  help.  Here  we  are  alone.  Isn^t  it  a  good 
time  to  settle  this  question  once  for  all,  and 
to  have  done  with  a  course  of  action  which 
you  feel  in  your  heart  is  not  the  course  you 
ought  to  pursue  1 "  He  looked  me  full  in  the 
eye  for  a  moment,  and  then,  reaching  over 
a  low  refrigerator  which  stood  between  us, 
he  took  my  hand  a  viselike  grip  and  said: 
"  I  never  saw  it  that  way  before.  I  never 
realized  how  much  I  owed  to  God.  If  He  will 
forgive  me  I  will  own  Him  before  the  world 
and  serve  Him  as  long  as  I  live."  I  came 
around  to  his  side  of  the  refrigerator  and  we 
knelt  on  the  bare  floor  and  prayed  together. 
The  ice  was  all  melted  and  there  were  scald- 
ing tears  on  his  cheeks.  The  promise  which 
he  had  made  in  private  he  publicly  kept,  and 
I  shall  never  forget  how  the  great  congrega- 
tion was  moved,  as  they  saw  that  strong 
man,  known  throughout  the  city  as  a  most 
successful  business  man,  go  forward  humbly 
to  the  altar  and  take  upon  himself  the  vows 
of  the  Church  of  the  living  God.  He  has  since 
"  fallen  on  sleep,"  but  he  never  ceased  to  be 
grateful  to  God  for  the  decision  of  that  day. 

[237] 


FOLLOWERS   OF   THE   GLEAM 


There  had  apparently  been  little  or  no  prep- 
aration, but  his  whole  soul  seemed  to  go  with 
his  choice.  God  sends  His  call  in  different 
fashions  to  different  men,  but  the  call  which 
each  man  hears  is  the  best  call  for  him.  And 
the  only  thing  that  is  necessary  is  to  say: 
"  What  wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do  ?  " 


[238] 


XII 

THE  SILVER  CASE 


16 


The  Bible  is  the  book  above  all  others  to  be  read  at  all 
ages  and  in  all  conditions  of  human  life;  not  to  be  read 
once  or  twice  through  and  then  laid  aside,  but  to  be  read 
in  small  portions  every  day. 

John  Quincy  Adams. 

"The  old  Bible  is  getting  to  be  to  us  literary  men  of 
England  a  sealed  book.  We  may  think  that  we  know  it; 
we  were  taught  it  at  home;  we  heard  it  read  in  church; 
perhaps  we  can  quote  some  verse  or  even  passage;  but  we 
really  know  very  little  of  it.  I  wish,  Reade,  that  you 
would  take  up  the  Old  Testament  and  go  through  it  as 
though  every  page  were  altogether  new  to  you — as  though 
you  had  never  read  a  line  of  it  before.  I  think  that  it  will 
astonish  you."    He  did  it  and  was  converted. 

Matthias  Arnold's  Advice  to  Charles  Beade. 

Open  the  door  of  your  heart,  my  lads. 

To  the  angel  of  love  and  truth, 
When  the  world  is  full  of  remembered  joys 

In  the  beautiful  dawn  of  youth. 
Casting  aside  all  things  that  mar. 

Saying  to  Wrong,  Depart! 
To  the  voices  of  hope  that  are  calling  you 

Open  the  door  of  your  heart. 

Edward  Everett  Hale. 


XII 
THE   SILVER   CASE 

Aftee  I  had  preached  at  one  of  the  great 
summer  hotels,  an  elderly  gentleman,  whom 
I  afterward  learned  was  a  leading  official  in 
one  of  the  large  New  York  churches,  ap- 
proached me  and  entered  into  conversation 
concerning  some  matters  which  had  been  re- 
ferred to  in  the  sermon,  with  relation  to  the 
study  of  the  Bible.  After  speaking  quite  at 
length,  and  giving  many  interesting  inci- 
dents, he  said :  "  There  is  one  illustration  of 
the  power  of  the  Word  of  God  to  hold  a  life 
that  is  so  impressive  that  I  would  like  to 
have  you  know  the  facts,  and  they  can  be  eas- 
ily verified  in  this  hotel.  It  is  now  nearly 
forty  years  since  a  young  man  was  waiter  in 
the  old  hotel  that  stood  where  the  present 
splendid  hostelry  now  stands.  An  old  man 
had  been  a  guest  at  the  hotel  for  several 
years  and  had  formed  quite  an  attachment 
for  the  young  man  who  had  waited  upon  him. 

[241] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


One  day  he  said  to  him  at  dinner :  ^  I  would 
like  to  see  you  a  few  minutes  this  afternoon 
when  you  are  at  liberty.'  The  young  man  said 
he  would  meet  him  at  the  time  and  place  ap- 
pointed. When  he  came  the  guest  said :  ^  I  am 
an  old  man  now,  and  perhaps  have  not  many 
years  longer  to  live.  I  wonder  if  you  would 
be  willing  to  do  an  old  man  a  favor — one  that 
would  be  a  source  of  great  pleasure  to  him?  ' 
The  young  man  said  that  if  there  was  any- 
thing in  reason  which  he  could  do,  he  would 
be  very  happy  to  do  it.  Then  the  old  man 
said :  *  The  favor  that  I  would  like  to  have 
you  do  me  is  to  promise  that  every  day  dur- 
ing your  life  you  will  read  some  portion  of 
the  Word  of  God.  I  do  not  ask  that  you  shall 
read  a  whole  chapter.  You  may  be  busy, 
hard-prest  with  many  cares,  and  not  feel 
that  you  could  even  spend  time  for  that,  but 
I  think  you  could  always  find  time  to  read 
a  single  verse.  I  have  read  God's  Word 
morning,  noon  and  night  for  many  years,  and 
I  can  say,  as  great  men  have  said  before  me, 
that  I  have  been  a  better  man  for  such  read- 
ing. I  first  began  to  read  the  Bible  because 
a  friend  of  mine  asked  me  to  do  it.    I  soon 

[242] 


THE   SILVER  CASE  • 


became  so  deeply  interested  in  it  that  it  has 
been  a  great  delight  to  me  all  these  years.  I 
have  gained  enough  of  this  world's  goods  to 
indulge  every  reasonable  desire.  God  has 
blest  me  in  many  ways.  My  family  grew 
up  about  me  in  touch  with  good  things,  and 
I  think  the  reading  of  the  Bible  in  the  forma- 
tive period  of  my  life  had  more  to  do  with 
my  business  success  and  my  domestic  hap- 
piness than  any  other  thing.  I  have  become 
much  interested  in  you.  I  would  like  to  have 
you  make  a  success  of  life,  and  I  am  satisfied 
that  if  you  will  follow  my  habit  in  the  reading 
of  the  Bible,  that  you  will  feel  when  you  are 
as  old  as  I  am,  that  it  has  been  a  blessing  to 
your  whole  life.  I  don't  wish  to  burden  you, 
but  I  would  like  to  have  you  grant  this  favor 
to  an  old  man,  if  you  feel  free  to  do  so.'  The 
young  man  said,  '  I  am  sure,  sir,  that  is  a 
very  proper  request  for  you  to  make,  and  I 
am  sure  you  have  only  my  good  at  heart  in 
making  it.  If  you  are  that  much  interested 
in  me  I  think  I  ought  to  be  sufficiently  inter- 
ested in  my  own  good  to  do  as  you  request. 
I  am  not  known  as  a  Christian  young  man, 
but  I  will  do  this  for  your  sake.'  " 

[243] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


As  we  had  been  talking  I  noticed  the  pro- 
prietor, one  of  the  chief  owners  of  the  hotel, 
walking  in  the  corridor.  At  this  point  my 
friend  beckoned  to  him  to  join  ns.  When 
he  had  reached  ns  my  friend  addrest  him 

and  said ;  "  Mr.  ,  have  you  a  copy  of 

the  Bible  with  you?"  He  replied:  "Oh, 
certainly,  sir;  would  you  like  to  see  it?" 
Beaching  his  hand  into  the  pocket  where 
most  men  carry  a  purse,  he  produced  a 
silver  case  approximating  three  by  four 
inches  in  dimensions,  and  half  an  inch  or 
more  in  thickness.  My  friend  took  it  in 
his  hand,  opened  it,  and  took  out  a  copy  of 
the  Bible.  Then  he  said,  "  I  wish  you  would 
tell  Dr.  Goodell  the  story  of  this  Book."  He 
then  told,  in  substance,  the  incident,  as  re- 
lated by  my  friend,  and  said  that  as  soon  as 
he  had  made  that  promise,  he  bought  himself 
a  small  copy  of  the  Bible,  so  that  he  might 
have  it  with  him,  as  he  was  frequently  away 
from  home,  and  was  not  always  able  to  find 
a  Bible  where  he  went.  He  said  that  he  had 
worn  out  several  copies  of  the  Scriptures, 
carrying  them  loosely  in  his  pocket.  He  was 
never  without  a  copy  at  his  daily  work,  and 

[244] 


THE   SILVER   CASE 


it  soon  became  marked  and  stained  by  his 
daily  toil.  After  several  years  bad  passed, 
it  was  evident  to  bim  tbat  tbe  only  way  to 
preserve  tbe  Book  would  be  to  bave  some 
suitable  case.  "  Therefore,"  be  said,  *^  I  se- 
cured tbis  silver  case.  It  was  elaborately  en- 
graved wben  I  bought  it,  but  you  will  see 
that  it  is  now  worn  almost  entirely  smooth. 
For  more  than  twenty-five  years  this  little 
silver  case  has  been  my  constant  companion. 
Wben  I  change  from  my  workaday  clothes 
to  evening  dress,  tbe  first  transfer  I  make  is 
the  transfer  of  this  silver  case.  I  bave  never 
been  to  a  day's  work  and  I  bave  never  been 
to  an  evening  party  or  entertainment  that  I 
did  not  carry  this  Book  with  me.  I  bave 
religiously  kept  my  promise  from  tbe  days 
of  my  youth  until  this  day.  No  day  has 
passed  that  I  bave  not  read  some  passage 
or  chapter  out  of  the  Holy  Scriptures.  Often 
when  traveling  by  train,  I  bave  grown  weary 
of  other  reading  and  bave  opened  my  silver 
case  and  read  chapter  after  chapter  out  of 
tbe  Good  Book.  What  the  reading  of  tbe 
Bible  did  for  tbe  old  man  who  led  me  to  begin 
it,  it  has  done  for  me.    It  seemed  to  bave  a  re- 


[245] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


straining  influence  upon  me  in  the  days  when 
I  was  inclined  to  go  with  those  who  were 
gay  and  thoughtless.  Little  by  little  it  has 
entered  into  my  very  life.  I  am  not  as  good 
a  man  as  I  wish  I  was,  but  I  am  a  great  deal 
better  man  than  I  would  have  been  without 
the  Bible.  Years  ago  I  gave  myself  to  the 
service  of  Christ,  and  the  most  potent  influ- 
ence in  that  surrender  was  this  little  Book. 
I  am  sure  you  will  understand  what  I  mean 
when  I  say  that  I  could  not  live  without  it. 
It  would  seem  as  if  a  most  vital  part  of  my 
life  was  gone  if  this  Book  were  taken  from 
me.  In  a  long  business  life  many  proposi- 
tions have  been  made  to  me  that  seemed  ad- 
vantageous, but  the  more  I  studied  them  in 
the  light  of  this  Book,  the  more  I  became  im- 
prest that  there  was  something  radically 
wrong  in  them  and  that  I  could  not  afford  to 
sacrifice  my  convictions  or  go  contrary  to  the 
Book  which  had  been  *  a  light  unto  my  path ' 
for  so  many  years.  I  shall  carry  this  Book 
as  long  as  I  live,  and  if  the  little  silver  case 
wears  through,  I  shall  get  another.  What- 
ever time  may  do  with  the  cover,  I  am  sure 
that  the  Book  will  never  wear  out.    Its  prin- 

[246] 


THE   SILVER   CASE 


ciples  are  as  true  and  as  safe  to-day  as  they 
ever  were,  and  whatever  changes  the  critics 
may  make  in  the  form  of  the  Message,  the 
spirit  of  it  will  remain  unchanged.  I  have 
proven  the  wisdom  of  the  words  of  the 
Psalmist:  *  Wherewithal  shall  a  young  man 
cleanse  his  way?  By  taking  heed  thereto,  ac- 
cording to  Thy  Word ! '  And  for  myself  I 
still  say,  as  I  have  said  so  many  times : '  I  will 
delight  myself  in  Thy  statutes ;  I  will  not  for- 
get Thy  law.'  I  keep  in  the  safe  yonder  the 
copies  of  the  Bible  I  have  worn  out." 


[247] 


XIII 

"A   LITTLE    CHILD    SHALL 
LEAD  THEM" 


A  woman  in  Glasgow  walking  along  a  street  where  poor 
children  were  running  barefooted,  stooped  to  pick  up  some- 
thing, which  she  rolled  in  her  apron.  A  policeman  saw  her 
and,  thinking  she  might  have  found  something  valuable, 
demanded  to  know  what  she  had  concealed.  She  refused 
to  tell,  but  the  policeman  threatened  to  arrest  her.  She 
opened  her  apron  and  disclosed  some  broken  bits  of  glass. 
He  upbraided  her  for  picking  up  such  rubbish.  In  defence 
she  gave  this  beautiful  reason :  "  I  thought  I  would  take 
them  out  of  the  way  of  the  bairns'  feet." 

Margaret  Bottome. 

I  had  a  vision  when  the  night  was  late, 

A  youth  came  riding  toward  a  palace  gate. 

He  rode  a  horse  with  wings  that  would  have  flown. 

But  that  his  heavy  rider  kept  him  down; 

And  from  the  palace  came  a  child  of  sin. 

And  took  him  by  the  curls  and  led  him  in. 

"  The  Vision  of  Sin  " — Tennyson. 


XIII 

"A    LITTLE    CHILD    SHALL 
LEAD   THEM" 

I  HAVE  frequently  said  that  no  one  has  so 
many  cords  drawing  them  to  Christ  as  has  a 
mother.  God  has  given  her  unspeakable  dig- 
nity. He  has  allowed  her  to  kindle  a  spark 
which  shall  shine  on  after  the  stars  have 
burned  down  to  their  sockets  and  gone  out. 
Once  your  child  was  not ;  he  will  never  cease 
to  be,  and  what  he  is  for  all  the  ages  depends 
more  upon  the  mother  than  upon  any  other 
agency  in  the  world.  God  gave  you  a  soul  to 
train,  not  for  yourself,  but  for  Him :  not  for 
time,  but  for  eternity.  You  are  concerned  to 
know  what  he  will  do,  but  the  thing  which 
interests  God  and  the  angels  is,  What  will 
he  he.  Character  is  greater  than  place. 
Your  child  is  not  here  to  make  a  living,  but 
to  grow  a  soul.  What  you  can  do  to  help  in 
that  work  must  be  done  now.  A  little  while 
and  it  will  be  too  late.    If  you  have  not  given 

[251] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


your  own  heart  to  God,  how  can  you  train 
another  life  for  Him?  If,  by  and  by,  you 
should  stand  outside  a  grated  door  and  your 
boy  from  the  inside  of  his  prison-cell  should 
say,  "  Mother,  you  never  showed  me  the  way 
of  a  Christian  life  by  your  own  example,  you 
never  guided  me  into  the  path  which  would 
have  kept  me  from  this  shame,"  what  would 
you  say?  Absolutely  nothing.  You  knew  the 
Christian  path  was  the  path  of  safety,  but 
you  did  not  take  it.  You  knew  the  snares  of 
the  fowler  were  spread  for  the  feet  of  your 
sons  and  daughters,  but  you  did  not  warn 
them  of  their  danger  nor  lead  them  to  Christ, 
their  only  Helper.  And  now  it  is  too  late! 
May  God  in  His  mercy,  save  you  from  a 
shame  like  that!  As  I  have  seen  hundreds 
of  boys  and  girls  in  the  church  and  Sunday- 
school  and  have  also  seen  what  their  home 
life  was,  I  have  felt  that  there  was  little 
chance  that  they  would  grow  up  in  the  fear  of 
God.  There  is  no  greater  need  in  this  or  any 
other  country  than  the  revival  of  home  re- 
ligion. If  the  children  are  to  fear  God  and 
serve  Him,  they  must  find  an  example  in 
their  own  father  and  mother.     There   are 

[252] 


"A  LITTLE  CHILD   SHALL  LEAD  THEM" 

some  of  us  who  count  as  the  greatest  agency 
in  our  development,  the  influence  of  a  godly- 
home  ;  a  place  where  the  day  was  begun  with 
supplication  and  ended  with  thanksgiving; 
a  home  from  which  we  went  into  the  duties 
of  life  with  the  consciousness  of  God's  bless- 
ings resting  upon  us  and  with  an  honest  de- 
sire to  do  His  will.  Such  a  life  is  doubly  for- 
tified, and  the  memory  of  such  a  home  is 
among  the  sweetest  treasures  which  life 
holds.  In  these  days  when  pleasure  and  lust 
and  greed  are  making  such  shipwrecks  of 
love  and  home,  our  fathers  and  mothers  need 
to  realize  their  tremendous  responsibility, 
and  to  feel  that  the  only  home  which  is  fit  for 
the  training  of  a  child  is  the  home  where 
Christ  is  honored  and  where  father  and 
mother  accept  the  responsibility  of  personal 
allegiance  to  Him  and  of  loyalty  to  His 
Church. 

In  one  of  my  pastorates  I  was  called  to 
christen  a  child  in  a  home  of  great  wealth. 
When  I  alighted  from  the  automobile  which 
had  been  sent  for  me,  and  entered  the  beau- 
tiful home,  I  found  a  large  company  waiting 
for  me.    They  were  arrayed  in  richest  gowns 

[253] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


and  wore  jewels  enough  for  a  king's  ransom. 
The  home  was  beautifully  decorated  and 
every  preparation  had  been  made  which  love 
could  think  of,  or  wealth  procure.  The 
young  mother,  as  she  stood  with  the  little 
baby  in  her  arms,  was  a  dream  of  beauty  and 
rich  attire.  As  the  father  looked  at  them  his 
eyes  exprest  the  devotion  of  his  heart.  As 
the  couple  took  their  places  and  the  company 
gathered  as  a  background,  I  thought  I  had 
never  seen,  in  point  of  wealth  and  beauty, 
such  a  splendid  gathering.  I  read  the  Eitual 
of  our  Church,  and  formally  named  the  little 
stranger,  dedicating  her  to  a  Christian  life 
and  praying  Grod's  richest  blessings  upon 
father  and  mother  and  all  their  household. 
And  the  service  was  over.  Little  groups 
gathered  in  congratulation  around  the  father 
and  mother  and  the  beautiful  baby.  As  I  saw 
the  sweet  little  face  and  realized  the  future,  a 
great  anxiety  laid  hold  of  my  heart  that  that 
little  one  should  be  trained  up  for  God.  But 
neither  father  nor  mother  were  members  of 
the  Church,  and  as  I  thought  of  the  demands 
of  society  and  all  the  temptations  which 
would  press  upon  a  child  of  wealth,  I  could 

[254] 


"A  LITTLE  CHILD   SHALL  LEAD   THEM" 

not  bear  to  think  that  the  little  one  should  not 
have  the  restraining  and  uplifting  influence 
of  a  father  and  mother  confessedly  given  up 
to  Christ  and  His  Church.  And  with  these 
thoughts  in  my  heart,  I  followed  the  father 
and  mother  as  they  took  the  baby  a  little 
apart  and  were  smiling  into  its  face.  I  said 
to  them :  "  I  never  saw  a  sweeter  child  than 
yours  and  I  am  sure  you  would  leave  nothing 
undone  that  would  bless  this  little  life.  I 
wonder  if  you  realized  just  what  you  were 
promising  to  do  when  you  gave  assent  to  the 
questions  I  asked  as  we  dedicated  this  little 
life  to  God?  I  know  you  were  anxious,  fear- 
ful lest  the  baby  would  cry  or  behave  in 
some  way  unseemly,  and  now  that  we  are 
here  by  ourselves,  may  I  read  you  once  more 
the  covenant  which  you  have  taken?  "  And 
so  I  read  slowly  the  pastor's  exhortation  as 
set  down  in  the  Eitual  of  our  Church;  the 
solemn  admonition  that  the  child  should  be 
taught  the  nature  and  end  of  this  holy  sacra- 
ment; that  she  should  be  taught  to  give 
"  reverent  attendance  upon  the  appointed 
means  of  grace,  such  as  the  ministry  of  the 
Word  and  the  public  and  private  worship  of 

17  [255] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


God,  and,  further,  that  she  should  read  the 
Holy  Scriptures  and  learn  the  Lord's  Prayer, 
the  Ten  Commandments,  the  Apostles'  Creed, 
the  Catechism  and  all  the  other  things  which 
a  Christian  ought  to  know  and  believe,  to  her 
soul's  health,  in  order  that  she  might  be 
brought  up  to  lead  a  virtuous  and  holy  life, 
remembering  always  that  Baptism  doth  rep- 
resent unto  us  that  inward  purity  which  dis- 
poseth  us  to  follow  the  example  of  our  Savior 
Christ ;  that  as  He  died  and  rose  again  for  us, 
so  should  we,  who  are  baptized,  die  unto  sin 
and  rise  again  unto  righteousness,  continu- 
ally mortifying  all  corrupt  affections,  and 
daily  proceeding  in  all  virtue  and  godli- 
ness." "And  then  I  asked  you,  *Do  you 
solemnly  engage  to  fulfil  these  duties,  so  far 
as  in  you  lies,  the  Lord  being  your  helper  ? ' 
And  you  answered,  *  We  do ! '  Now,"  I  said, 
"  I  am  very  anxious  about  this  little  darling. 
If  it  had  a  fair  chance  in  life  I  might  not  be  so 
anxious,  but  the  fact  of  the  case  is,  things  are 
very  much  against  this  beautiful  little  child." 
I  saw  the  father  stiffen  a  little  and  his  eyes 
begin  to  flash.  "  If  this  little  baby  had  been 
bom  in  the  straitened  home  of  the  poor, 

[256] 


"A  LITTLE   CHILD   SHALL  LEAD   THEM" 

or  even  in  a  home  where  great  self-denial 
were  necessary  to  meet  the  daily  wants  of  life, 
it  would  have  had  a  better  chance.  But  your 
little  child  has  come  into  life  with  a  thousand 
temptations  waiting  for  her  unwary  feet. 
She  can  satisfy  every  longing,  and  every  in- 
dulgence in  pleasure  or  appetite  will  be  with- 
in her  reach.  As  she  gets  older,  designing 
men  will  be  attracted  to  her  because  of  her 
position  and  wealth.  And  the  temptations  of 
social  life  will  beat  upon  her  in  their  fury, 
and  the  very  elegance  of  her  surroundings 
and  the  abundance  of  your  means  will  make 
more  difficult  for  her  the  path  of  self-denial 
and  Christian  virtue."  I  noticed  the  fire  had 
gone  out  of  the  father's  eye  and  there  were 
tears  in  the  eyes  of  the  mother.  "  So  now 
you  understand  what  I  meant  when  I  said 
that  this  beautiful  little  girl  of  yours  would 
not  have  a  fair  chance  in  life.  She  is  handi- 
capped at  the  very  beginning  by  the  very 
abundance  which  surrounds  her.  And  now, 
with  all  these  things  against  her,  and  the 
need  that  she  should  have  a  steady  hand 
and  a  clear  mind  and  a  consecrated  heart 
and  a  holy  example  before  her,  I  want  to 

[257] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


ask  you  whether  you  think  that  one  who 
has  never  acknowledged  Christ  and  who  does 
not  live  a  life  of  devotion  and  pray,  is 
qualified  to  guide  an  immortal  soul  in  the 
midst  of  such  dangers,  to  a  port  of  peace  and 
safety?  "  They  looked  each  other  in  the  face 
and  were  speechless.  I  saw  that  a  greater 
than  human  power  was  moving  upon  their 
hearts,  and  when  they  could  trust  themselves 
to  speak,  the  mother  said :  "  We  would  like 
to  talk  this  matter  over  when  we  can  talk 
freely.  Would  it  be  possible  for  you  to  call 
soon?  '^  I  said  it  would  be  a  great  pleasure 
if  I  might  have  that  privilege.  Two  days 
later  I  called,  and  was  most  cordially  re- 
ceived. I  found  that  the  Good  Spirit  had 
prepared  the  way  for  my  coming,  and  we  had 
a  heart-to-heart  talk  about  a  Christian  home, 
and  about  the  need  of  Divine  help  in  so  im- 
portant a  matter  as  the  training  of  an  im- 
mortal spirit  for  an  everlasting  kingdom. 
There  were  some  questions  to  be  answered, 
and  I  tried  to  make  the  way  of  life  as  plain 
as  I  could  make  it.  I  saw  the  seed  was  fall- 
ing into  receptive  and  honest  hearts.  Before 
I  left,  we  made  an  appointment  for  another 

[258] 


"A  LITTLE   CHILD   SHALL  LEAD  THEM" 

interview,  and  in  that  second  interview  tlie 
father  and  mother  said:  "We  have  thought 
this  matter  over ;  we  have  prayed  much  about 
it,  and  we  have  decided  that  ours  must  be  a 
Christian  home.  We  long  to  have  the  con- 
sciousness of  our  acceptance  before  God." 
I  said :  "  Let  us  ask  God  for  that  here  and 
now."  So  we  knelt  together  and  lifted  up 
our  hearts  to  God.  The  light  broke,  and 
two  hearts,  by  personal  choice  of  the  blest 
Christ,  entered  into  the  joy  of  the  Christian 
life.  The  following  Sunday  they  were  re- 
ceived into  the  fellowship  of  the  Christian 
Church.  In  the  years  which  followed,  as  I 
saw  them  kneeling  at  the  altar  in  the  House 
of  God,  and  thought  of  the  way  which  God 
had  used  to  sanctify  a  home  and  make  pos- 
sible the  training  of  the  dear  children  in  the 
kingdom,  I  quoted  to  myself  with  great  com- 
fort :  "  And  a  little  child  shall  lead  them !  " 


[259] 


EPILOG 


Let  us  agree,  then,  that  Heligion,  occupying  herself  with 
personal  destinies  and  keeping  thus  in  contact  with  the  only- 
absolute  realities  we  know,  must  necessarily  play  an  eternal 
part  in  human  history.  Professor  James. 

Do  your  joys  with  age  diminish, 
When  mine  fail  me  I'll  complain; 

Must  in  death  your  daylight  vanish. 
My  sun  sets  to  rise  again. 

"At  the  ;Mebmaid" — Brovming. 

I  bring  to  you  that — the  reality  of  sin  and  the  reality  of 
a  personal  saviour,  "  through  Jesus  Christ."  The  deliver- 
ance can  be  effected  by  a  personal  covenant,  by  the  union 
of  two  lives,  by  the  mutual  surrender  of  your  life  and  of 
the  life  of  the  Prince  of  Glory,  the  now  exalted  Christ  of 
God.  Jesus  Christ,  who  liberated  the  palsied,  who  freed 
the  Magdalen,  is  alive,  exercising  universal  sway,  and  can 
come  into  vital  revitalizing,  emancipating  relationship  with 
every  child  of  the  race.  J.  E.  Jowett. 


EPILOG 

Now  that  we  have  considered  together 
these  cases  of  the  special  manifestation  of 
the  power  of  God  in  the  lives  of  men  differ- 
ing widely  in  social  position  and  intellectual 
life,  it  remains  for  us  to  estimate  the  value 
of  these  experiences  in  the  light  of  the  new 
social  science  which  forms  so  large  a  part  of 
social  and  religious  discussion  at  present. 

We  shall  certainly  be  met  by  a  statement 
that  men  are  generally  quite  prepared  to  be- 
lieve in  the  possibility  of  a  changed  life, 
under  the  influence  of  some  high  ideals,  and 
that  these  cases  of  conversion  are  entirely 
credible  on  such  a  basis.  The  question,  then, 
which  arises  is  not  as  to  the  fact  of  these  in- 
dividualistic experiences,  but  as  to  their  rela- 
tive value. 

There  is  a  protest  much  in  vogue  against 
all  individualism.  The  preaching  and  prac- 
tise of  the  Church  has  been  growing  more 

[263] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


and  more  impersonal.  In  many  quarters,  to 
ask  a  man  to  make  an  immediate  choice  of  the 
Christian  life,  or  in  any  public  way  to  sig- 
nalize his  desire  to  lead  that  life,  is  judged 
an  unwarranted  breaking  into  a  man's  pri- 
vate affairs,  and  it  is  called  ill-mannered,  if 
not  an  absolute  impertinence.  Instead  of  a 
discussion  of  the  old  personal  question  of  a 
man's  relation  to  his  Maker,  there  has  come 
a  consideration  of  such  social  questions  as 
tenements,  and  parks  and  sweat-shops,  trusts 
and  trade-unions  and  pensions.  The  preach- 
er and  the  lecturer,  the  magazine  and  the 
newspaper,  are  interested  in  man,  not  in 
men;  interested  in  his  city  or  his  nation,  but 
not  in  the  individuals  with  whom  he  shakes 
hands  and  who  are  looking  up  to  him  on  Sun- 
day, if  he  be  a  preacher,  for  some  spiritual 
message. 

Few  of  our  churches  have  made  an  increase 
in  membership  equal  to  the  increase  in  popu- 
lation. One  might  wonder  why  this  should 
be,  in  an  age  when  we  are  speaking  not  of 
units,  but  of  citiesf ul ;  in  a  time  when  things 
are  done  by  wholesale.  It  has  seemed  to  be 
small  business  to  spend  a  half -day  finding 

[264] 


EPILOG 


Andrew  and  Peter  and  Philip,  when  we  might 
have  addrest  a  large  company  on  Indus- 
trialism or  the  Conservation  of  National 
Eesources.  If  we  look  about  for  the  dispar- 
ity between  such  wholesale  efforts  and  such 
infinitesimal  results,  shall  we  not  realize  that 
there  is  some  principle  here  at  issue,  which 
we  have  not  as  yet  quite  understood?  Of 
course,  it  is  always  possible  for  us  to  say  that 
while  results  do  not  appear  as  yet  in  magni- 
tude, we  are  doing  foundation  work.  Some 
day  the  foundation  will  be  laid.  Some  day 
the  superstructure  will  lift  itself  in  the  eyes 
of  all  men,  and  we  shall  realize  the  wisdom 
of  our  toil.  Or,  to  change  the  figure,  the 
mine  is  being  laid.  By  and  by  the  connec- 
tions will  be  made  and  the  explosion  will 
come  which  will  overwhelm  the  giant  wrongs 
which  for  centuries  have  afflicted  the  people. 
The  question  at  issue  in  religion  and  the 
church,  as  well  as  in  society  and  the  state, 
is  the  question  of  Individualism  vs.  Collec- 
tivism. There  is  much  to  be  said  on  the  side 
of  Collectivism.  Dr.  Charles  W.  Eliot,  Pres- 
ident Emeritus  of  Harvard  University,  re- 
minds us  in  his  lectures  before  the  Univer- 

[265] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


sity  of  Virginia,  that  all  through  the  nine- 
teenth century  a  conflict  was  going  on  in  all 
civilized  nations  between  two  opposite  ten- 
dencies in  human  society :  Individualism  and 
Collectivism.  Until  about  1870  Individualism 
had  the  advantage  in  this  conflict;  but  near 
the  middle  of  the  century  Collectivism  began 
to  gain  on  Individualism,  and  during  the  last 
third  of  the  century  Collectivism  won  decided 
advantages  over  the  opposing  principle.  In- 
dividualism values  highly  not  only  the  rights 
of  a  single  person,  but  also  the  initiative  of 
the  individual  left  free  by  society.  Collec- 
tivism values  highly  social  rights,  objects  to 
an  individual  initiative  which  does  mischief 
when  left  free,  holds  that  the  interest  of  the 
many  should  override  the  interest  of  the  in- 
dividual, whenever  the  two  interests  conflict, 
and  should  control  social  action,  and  yet  does 
not  propose  to  extinguish  the  individual,  but 
only  to  restrict  him  for  the  common  good, 
including  his  own. 

Individualism  has  a  strong  natural  hold  on 
American  democracy.  In  the  first  place,  the 
early  settlers  on  American  soil  were  in  the 
main   Protestants,    inheritors    of   the   deep- 

[2G6] 


EPILOG 


seated  individualism  of  the  Protestant  Eef- 
ormation.  In  the  next  place  the  first  Amer- 
ican colonies  on  the  Atlantic  shore  of  the 
great  territory  now  called  the  United  States 
brought  with  them  from  the  Old  World  only 
the  slightest  traces  of  the  feudal  system — 
the  earliest  successful  colony,  that  of  the  Pil- 
grims at  Plymouth,  none  at  all.  The  early 
settlers  were  individualistic  in  their  make-up 
and  temperament,  as  all  pioneers  are  apt  to 
be,  and  their  occupations  were  of  the  inde- 
pendent, individualistic  sort.  The  teachings 
of  Franklin  and  of  Jefferson  were  intensely 
individualistic.  The  town  meeting,  manhood 
suffrage,  and  representative  government,  all 
emphasized  the  potency  of  the  individual  and 
the  sanctity  of  his  rights. 

Now  it  would  be  interesting  to  take  up  the 
principles  involved  in  the  individual  and  col- 
lective life  of  society  and  government.  But 
that  is  a  question  too  large  to  venture  upon 
here,  and  quite  irrelevant  to  the  theme  in 
hand.  Nothing,  however,  could  be  more  im- 
portant in  the  work  of  saving  the  world  to 
God  and  to  service,  than  a  clear  understand- 
ing of  the  proper  relation  of  the  individual 

[267] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


to  his  time  and  race.  It  is  true  that  the  old 
Puritan  was  individualistic  to  the  last  degree. 
It  is  true  that  Calvinism  gloried  in  the  in- 
dividual. And  it  is  one  of  the  interesting 
facts  of  human  history  that  "  the  old  teutonic 
reverence  for  the  individual  came  to  its  coro- 
nation in  the  theology  of  a  Frenchman."  Dr. 
Jefferson  writes  in  a  glowing  sentence, 
"  Englishmen,  fired  with  the  belief  that  every 
man  of  them  was  a  son  of  God,  answerable 
to  God  alone,  picked  up  the  Bible,  and  with 
it,  as  with  a  battle-ax  began  to  hack  and  hew 
the  i3rerogatives  of  those  who  had  lorded  it 
over  them  in  the  Church.  The  miters  were 
torn  from  the  bishops'  heads,  and  when  good 
Queen  Bess  and  bad  King  James  used  their 
power  to  oppose  Christ's  freeman,  these  men 
resisted  unto  death.  The  men  who  made  New 
England  what  she  is  stood  each  man  alone 
in  the  presence  of  the  Eternal.  ^  Leave  me 
alone,'  said  John  Cotton  to  his  attendant,  as 
he  started  down  into  the  valley  of  the  great 
shadow.  The  curtains  were  drawn  about  the 
bed,  his  wife  and  children  retired  from  the 
room,  and  alone  the  greatest  of  New  Eng- 
land's early  preachers  met  his  God." 

[268] 


EPILOG 


It  is  doubtless  true  that  too  much  empha- 
sis was  laid  in  the  olden  time  on  the  saving 
of  a  man's  own  soul.  Much  of  the  religious 
literature  of  the  time  exhausted  itself  in  per- 
petually taking  to  pieces  the  souPs  experi- 
ences and  analyzing  them  over  and  over.  It 
seemed  like  taking  up  the  good  seed  daily 
to  see  if  it  had  sprouted.  The  question  asked 
by  godly  men  when  they  met  each  other  was 
not  "  What  have  you  done  to-day  to  build 
up  the  kingdom!  "  but,  "  How  does  your  soul 
prosper?  "  We  frankly  admit  the  mistake  of 
that  sort  of  individualism.  But,  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  there  was  a  great  deal  less  of  it  than 
the  modern  advocates  of  socialism  or  col- 
lectivism, in  the  Church  or  out  of  it,  would 
lead  us  to  think.  The  Church  began  with  the 
rankest  kind  of  individualism,  and  Christ's 
teaching  was,  first  of  all,  an  individual  teach- 
ing. He  had  but  few  large  congregations, 
and  some  of  those  He  sent  away.  He  was 
content  to  talk  to  individuals  and  to  put  in 
most  of  His  time  for  the  three  greatest  years 
the  world  ever  saw,  in  the  training  of  twelve 
men,  who  were  but  poor  students  at  the  best. 
But  how  did  these  men  understand  His  in- 

[269] 


FOLLOWERS   OF  THE   GLEAM 


dividualistic  teaching?  The  Church  was 
founded  because  individuals  laid  hold  of  the 
fact  that,  having  themselves  received  that 
which  was  a  world-gift,  they  were  debtors 
to  Jew  and  Greek,  to  bond  and  free,  until  they 
had  presented  to  them  that  which  they  were 
commissioned  to  bear.  The  Church,  in  every 
successful  period  of  its  history,  has  sung,  and 
loved  the  song: 

"Oh,  that  the  world  might  taste  and  see 
The  riches  of  His  grace; 
The  arms  of  love  which  compass  me, 
Would  all  mankind  embrace.'' 

And  so  the  disciples  and  their  followers  went 
everywhere.  They  opened  the  baptismal  reg- 
ister of  Europe  with  the  names  of  those 
whom  they  sought  one  by  one.  Their  com- 
mission was,  "  Go  quickly,  everywhere !  "  and 
"  Lo,  I  am  with  you,  even  unto  the  end." 

Who  talks  with  a  sneer,  of  the  individual- 
ism of  Peter  or  Paul  or  Savonarola  or  Lu- 
ther or  John  Knox  or  Bunyan?  Was  not 
John  Wesley  constantly  preaching  that  per- 
sonal salvation  was   only  a  dedication  for 

[270] 


EPILOG 


sendee?  Did  that  little  Oxford  don  refuse  to 
concern  himself  about  the  affairs  of  men? 
What  question  are  we  interested  in  to-day 
that  did  not  stir  his  heart?  Do  we  talk  about 
hospitals  and  schools  and  dispensaries,  about 
prisoners  and  paupers,  about  toilers  and  un- 
fortunates? In  every  such  question  Wesley 
interested  himself  with  most  practical  con- 
cern, and  to  the  extent  of  tens  of  thousands 
of  dollars,  a  century  and  a  quarter  ago.  So 
far  as  Individualism  ends  with  the  individual, 
it  is  a  mistake  and  a  crime.  But  when  we  are 
told  that  you  cannot  redeem  an  individual 
until  you  change  the  structure  of  the  world, 
I  answer  back,  you  will  never  reform  society 
until  individuals  go  about  the  work  of  that 
reformation,  and  individuals  will  never  go 
about  that  work  until  they  themselves  have  re- 
ceived a  commission  to  do  it  from  the  King  of 
kings  and  the  Lord  of  lords.  In  this  world  a 
man  does  not  come  into  the  relation  of  a 
brother  to  any  man,  according  to  the  flesh,  by 
his  own  volition.  His  advice  and  consent  is 
never  asked.  He  is  a  brother  to  the  members 
of  his  family  because  they  have  a  common  fa- 
ther.   And  history  shows  us  that  the  men  who 

18  [271] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


have  most  truly  shown  themselves  brothers  to 
their  kind  were  those  who  realized  that  God 
was  their  common  Father,  and  that  they  must 
be  true  to  their  fellows  because  of  their  rela- 
tion to  Him.  It  is  well  to  be  interested  in 
communities  and  classes;  to  talk  about  the 
rich  and  the  poor,  the  capitalists  and  the 
laborers,  but  we  shall  accomplish  little 
enough  that  is  vital  and  far-reaching,  until 
our  interests  are  in  men  rather  than  in  man, 
and  our  effort  for  individuals,  that  we  may 
reach  the  mass.  We  ought  to  do  everything 
to  keep  the  atmosphere  clear;  we  ought  to 
drain  every  swamp;  we  ought  to  clean  out 
every  cesspool;  we  ought  to  stop  every  pol- 
lution in  our  streams;  we  ought  to  hold  in 
the  firm  hand  of  the  law  every  transgressor 
against  the  comfort  and  peace  of  his  neigh- 
bors ;  we  ought  to  preach  the  rights  of  men. 
But  we  ought  also  to  preach,  with  tremen- 
dous emphasis,  the  duties  of  men.  We  ought 
to  make  more  personal  instead  of  less  per- 
sonal, more  individual  instead  of  less  indi- 
vidual, the  duties  and  obligations  which  rest 
upon  men.  We  ought  to  be  interested  in  a 
certain  rich  man  and  in  a  certain  beggar.    If 

[272] 


EPILOG 

we  fire  at  some  definite  object,  we  shall  know 
when  we  hit  the  mark.  Many  a  preacher  is 
discouraged  and  broken-hearted  because  peo- 
ple come  no  more  to  listen  to  him.  The 
trouble  with  him  is  that  the  personal  note 
has  dropt  out  of  his  preaching.  It  is  the  man 
who  knows  the  personal  needs  of  his  con- 
gregation that  most  helps  them.  Anything 
which  tends  to  make  impersonal  the  work 
of  the  Church  will  really  militate  against  his 
success  with  the  community  in  the  mass. 
Men  are  not  ready  to  fall  into  a  great  mass 
of  manhood,  as  a  drop  of  water  falls  into  the 
sea ;  they  will  always  claim  their  right  to  in- 
dividual consideration. 

We  make  our  plea  for  a  more  intense 
rather  than  a  relaxed  individualism.  Men 
must  be  converted  one  by  one.  The  cry  of  the 
soul  for  personal  attention,  for  individual 
consideration,  must  be  met  by  the  Church.  If 
she  fails  to  do  it,  she  will  reap  a  fearful 
harvest.  But  we  hasten  to  say,  and  to  say 
with  all  emphasis,  that  if  the  Church  teaches 
that  every  individual  be  saved  from  his  sins 
and  made  the  heir  of  some  future  good,  as 
all  there  is  of  the  Christian  life,  God  will  re- 

[273] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


move  her  from  her  candlestick,  for  she  has 
no  light  for  the  world.  Individualism  and 
Collectivism  are  not  opposed  to  each  other  in 
principle,  and  should  not  be  in  fact.  When 
a  man  talks  of  being  saved,  he  must  realize 
that  he  is  saved  for  service.  He  must  realize 
the  full  force  of  the  Savior's  words :  "  Here- 
in is  my  Father  glorified,  that  ye  bear  much 
fruit.    So  shall  ye  be  my  disciples." 

Is  it  the  wretchedness  of  the  home  that 
causes  the  saloon  to  flourish!  Then,  visit  the 
homes  one  by  one.  You  cannot  reform  them 
by  resolutions  passed  at  Cooper  Institute  or 
Carnegie  Hall.  Is  it  the  landlords  that  are 
responsible  for  the  slums  of  the  city?  Then 
labor  with  the  landlords,  not  through  a  maga- 
zine, but  by  personal  interest  and  solicitude. 
What  men  need  is  some  great  djmamic  that 
shall  be  inspiration  to  their  souls,  which  shall 
strengthen  their  arms  and  quicken  their  feet. 
That  dynamic  is  to  be  found  alone  in  the  pres- 
ence and  power  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the  individ- 
ual life.  The  liabilities  of  the  Church  of  God 
are  unspeakably  great.  She  is  to  be  the  salt 
of  the  world.  She  is  to  be  the  light  of  men. 
Her  debt  is  to  each  individual  who  does  not 

[274] 


EPILOG 


know  the  fatherhood  of  God  and  the  brother- 
hood of  men.  To  meet  that  enormous  liabil- 
ity, her  only  available  asset  is  the  presence 
and  the  power  of  the  Son  of  God.  If  she  does 
not  realize  the  first  and  has  not  felt  the  sec- 
ond, she  is  a  bankrupt,  and  the  world  will 
face  ages  as  dark  as  any  which  colored  the 
centuries  in  the  long  ago.  The  form  of  re- 
ligious experience  may  change,  but  we  must 
know  the  fact  of  it.  There  is  only  one  way 
to  reach  a  glorified  socialism  and  that  is  by 
the  way  of  a  sanctified  individualism.  It  is 
quite  the  fashion  for  men  who  think  careless- 
ly and  speak  loosely,  to  deride  all  thoughts 
of  a  future  life.  We  are  constantly  told  that 
this  is  the  only  life  that  we  are  interested  in, 
the  only  one  that  we  know  anything  about; 
we  have  no  mission  for  ghosts.  A  preacher 
almost  feels  like  apologizing  if,  in  a  care- 
less moment,  the  word  "  Heaven  "  falls  from 
his  lips. 

It  is  true  that  we  are  concerned  about 
the  day  which  now  is;  that  we  are  in  the 
formative  period;  that  the  eternities  are  de- 
pending upon  the  days  which  fly  like  a 
weaver's   shuttle.     But   is   there   any   good 

[275] 


FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  GLEAM 


reason  why  we  should  forget  the  eternities 
toward  which  all  men  hasten?  It  is  true 
that  no  evil  can  happen  to  a  good  man, 
living  or  dead,  but  is  there  any  reason  why 
every  purpose  of  the  present  should  not  be 
buttressed  by  the  reality  of  the  endless  life 
which  is  just  ahead?  Men  may  sneer  as 
much  as  they  choose  about  the  future,  and 
seek  to  cloud  it  with  the  dust  of  the  fleet- 
ing years  and  to  drown  its  low  call  and  ten- 
der harmonies  by  the  mad  echoes  of  the 
market,  but  history  shows  that  the  men  who 
have  made  the  straightest  path  in  this  world, 
were  the  men  whose  eyes  were  kindled  upon 
the  eternities.  Many  men  who  were  sad  and 
homeless  here,  who  were  bitterly  disap- 
pointed, who  sought  for  that  they  did  not  find 
and  were  sore  buffeted,  have  comforted  their 
hearts  and  steadied  their  faith  by  the  words 
which  Jesus  thought  it  worth  while  to  leave 
as  the  solace  of  the  comfortless  in  all  ages: 
''  In  my  Father's  House  are  many  mansions. 
I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you."  So  we  may 
be  sure  that  until  headache  and  heartache, 
until  tears  and  death,  until  temptation  and 
passion  and  ambition  go  out  of  fashion,  it 

[276] 


EPILOG 


will  be  worth  our  while  to  interest  ourselves 
in  the  individual  contest  and  struggle  of  the 
men  about  us,  and  to  deliver  men,  one  by  one, 
from  the  sad  and  wicked  things  which  press 
upon  the  soul.  The  way  of  deliverance  for 
every  man  will  not  be  to  listen  to  the  voice 
of  the  crowd,  but  to  follow  the  "gleam" 
which  God  sets  in  each  man's  sky  to  lead  him 
by  a  straight  path  to  certain  victory  and 
peace. 


[277] 


Date  Due 

oc 1-^^! 

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l« 

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ary-Speer  L,br, 


11012  oioip'Tg 


